Although the demand for property increased in November, the ongoing economic downturn is holding back housing activity according to the latest report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) Rics’ UK Housing Market survey for the three months to the end of November showed a small improvement in both demand from buyers and property [...]
The world’s largest advertising group WPP, has today reported an increase in like-for-like revenues of 1% in March – its first since December 2008. The advertising giant is now raising its key like-for-like full-year revenue forecast to 2% growth. Its French rival, Publicis Groupe, exceeded expectations for its first-quarter sales last week, when it posted [...]
Scottish airline, Highland Airways, has gone into voluntary administration putting 100 jobs at risk. The company, which is based in Inverness and also has routes to Wales, called in administrators last night, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), to take over the running of the business. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said operations had been suspended “with immediate effect”. [...]
The world’s largest advertising group WPP has seen an improvement in profits after a ‘brutal’ 2009. The advertising giant said pre-tax profits had tumbled by 16% year-on-year to £812 million. However, this was better than the £780 million forecast. Meanwhile, revenue grew by 16% to £8.7 billion, while like-for-like sales fell 8%. The company was [...]
US carmaker Ford has today reported its first annual profit since 2005 after a turbulent 12 months for the American car industry. The company reported an annual net profit for 2009 of $2.27 billion (£1.4 billion) compared with a loss of $15 billion in 2008. Meanwhile, for the fourth quarter of 2009, profit was $868 [...]
The airline industry has been hit hard during the global economic downturn, which has led to a slump in demand for air travel with fewer people travelling. Many airlines went bust during the downturn, not just due to a fall in demand but also as a result of higher fuel prices. According to the International [...]
There were hopes that the personal computer market is staging a recovery after chipmaker Intel said net income in the three months to 26 December was £1.4 billion – surging ahead of the £143 million reported a year earlier. Furthermore, the company, which is based in Santa Clara, California, exceeded analysts’ expectations after sales soared [...]
Struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) has been offered another financial lifeline, this time from American Airlines and private equity firm TPG. The airline, which is Asia’s largest carrier, has been struggling amid the global economic downturn which has led to a slump in demand. Many airlines have been forced out of business as fewer people are [...]
Bookshop chain Borders UK has been placed into administration, according to Reuters. The move is not unexpected after it was reported earlier this week that the 45-store book retailer does not have sufficient cash to see it through to Christmas as it has suffered amid increased competition from supermarkets and online retailers, such as Amazon. [...]
Struggling Japan Airlines (JAL) yesterday saw its shares close at a record low of 87 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange after it emerged that Mitsui & Co broking house had sold all its shares in the carrier. A spokesperson for Mitsui & Co said it had sold all of its 11.7 million shares between [...]
WHSmith has abandoned talks with bookshop chain Borders, which is set to see Borders UK enter administration unless a sale is imminent. Borders is understood to not have sufficient cash to see it through to Christmas as it has suffered amid increased competition from supermarkets and online retailers, such as Amazon. As a result, the [...]
Business leaders of 21 member economies from Asia and the Pacific Rim have gathered together for their annual forum and their primary focus this year was about the global economic downturn. The region’s leaders said that Asia is ‘leading the world out of the recession’. The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation’s (Apec) positive comments reflect those from [...]
Russia’s largest retail bank Sberbank is to reduce headcount by 25% – or 67,000 jobs by 2014. However, around 27,000 of the jobs will be axed by the end of 2009, said the bank. The bank, which is state-controlled, has been hit by the economic downturn and the cuts are part of a modernisation plan. [...]
As part of its ongoing global cost-cutting programme, Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson is to eliminate 700 jobs from its research and development operation in Coventry. The cuts will be made by the middle of next year and the company said after that time, the facility would no longer be viable. Ericsson has been in [...]
Telecoms company Vodafone is seeking to increase its £1 billion cost-cutting programme by a further £1 billion by 2012 as a result of a sharp decline in revenues from its core UK market. The company, which is the world’s largest mobile phone operator, is struggling amid the global economic downturn and has already announced hundreds [...]
Italian luxury fashion house Versace is to eliminate 350 jobs (around 25% of its workforce), due to a slump in demand for luxury and designer goods. The jobs will be cut worldwide and completed by the middle of 2010 and are part of a strategic review of its stores. The group, which employs 1,360 staff [...]
Thousands of jobs are at risk at Threshers and Wine Rack after a source close to the company revealed to The Times that administration could not be ruled out as the group struggles amid the economic downturn. The off-licence’s owner, First Quench Retailing, has confirmed it is looking at “restructuring options” after warning earlier this [...]
Caterpillar, which is the world’s largest construction and mining equipment maker, said today it is to eliminate 2,500 US jobs. However, the construction giant highlighted that signs of economic recovery has meant it has rehired more than 500 workers that it had previously laid off. The 2,500 staff who are losing their jobs had previously [...]
Asia’s largest carrier, Japan Airlines (JAL), is to be placed under the supervision of a state-backed turnaround body, according to reports. Speculation that the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan may take control of the loss-making airline next week sent its shares up 2.6%. The Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan buys the debt of [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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