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  • Last minute bookings lift Thomas Cook

    Tuesday 29 Sep 2009

    A rush of last-minute bookings helped Thomas Cook trade well over summer, the travel company said.

  • IMF slashes bad debt bill estimates

    Tuesday 29 Sep 2009

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut its estimate on the total global bill for banks’ write-offs between 2007 and 2010 to $3.4trn from $4trn.

  • Marks & Spencer like-for-like sales fall 0.5%

    Tuesday 29 Sep 2009

    Fashion and food retailer Marks & Spencer posted a 0.5% fall in like-for-like sales in the 13 weeks to 26 September as recession-hit shoppers stayed frugal. Chairman Sir Stuart Rose said he remains cautious on the company's outlook and expects 2010 to be a tough year. Total sales were up by 2.7% from the same period the previous year, with clothing sales up 2.7%.

  • Daily Mail on target despite slip in sales

    Tuesday 29 Sep 2009

    Daily Mail remains confident it will meet market forecasts for profits this year of £180m, despite revenue in the 11 months to August dropping by 9%. The consumer side felt the brunt of the sales downturn, the newspaper group said, though the regional arm has stabilised. Business to Business revenue is up by up 2%, including the impact of the stronger dollar

  • Enterprise Inns looks on bright side

    Monday 28 Sep 2009

    Pub group Enterprise Inns has seen the number of tenanted pubs facing closure reduce slightly and demand lessen for its tenant support scheme, though the trading environment still remains very tough.

  • Orange seals deal to sell iPhone in UK

    Monday 28 Sep 2009

    Mobile phone and internet provider Orange will start selling Apple’s iPhone in the UK ‘later this year’, it has announced. The firm, owned by France Telecom, can look forward to snatching a slice of the pie from Telefonica’s O2, which has enjoyed an exclusive arrangement to sell the iPhone here since 2007

  • Monday newspaper round-up: Marks & Spencer, Royal Bank of Scotland, Cadbury

    Sunday 27 Sep 2009

    Marks & Spencer is expected to mount a strong defence of its food business this week amid intensifying competition among grocers. The retailer will update the market on Wednesday and is expected to reveal like-for-like sales falls of about 1.5%. The update is expected to show that M&S continues to lose share in its food business, the Times reports.

  • Man Group profits seen higher

    Friday 25 Sep 2009

    Fund manager Man Group expects half-year profits to rise and said investor sentiment is continuing to improve.

  • Cash call deluge to start again

    Friday 25 Sep 2009

    The cash-call trend firmly kicked off again this week following a short lull.

  • TUI on track, raises £440m for loan refinancing

    Friday 25 Sep 2009

    Europe’s largest tour operator TUI Travel said today it is on course to meet full-year forecasts and is raising about £440m of funds to refinance its shareholder loan with parent TUI AG.

  • New ISA limit: What it means for you

    Friday 25 Sep 2009

    From 6 October 2009, older savers will see their ISA limit raised to £10,200, of which £5,100 can be held in cash and the rest in stocks and shares.

  • ITV kicks Ball into touch

    Friday 25 Sep 2009

    ITV has ended negotiations with Tony Ball over the job of chief executive of the struggling broadcaster after failing to reach agreement on governance issues and pay.

  • Jaguar Land Rover to close one Midlands plant

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    Jaguar Land Rover said it will close one of its factories in the West Midlands and undertake other cost cutting measures as part of a new business plan.

  • Economists summoned as King endorses weak pound

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    Bank of England Governor Mervyn King sent the pound sharply lower after he told the Journal newspaper in Newcastle that the recent weakness of the pound could boost the UK economy. Traders took the comments as an indication that the central bank is happy with sterling’s recent decline and that interest rates could stay low for some time.

  • LSE sees daily volume drop 43%

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    The London Stock Exchange said the average daily value traded on its SETS electronic trading system declined by 43% in the five month ended August.

  • Songbird issues 62bn shares at a penny each

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    AIM-listed real estate tiddler Songbird Estates has announced plans to raise a staggering £1.03bn to reduce debt and fund its purchase of a stake in Canary Wharf Group.

  • JJB shares slide as losses surge

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    Troubled sportswear retailer JJB posted a £42.9m loss for the half-year having averted bankruptcy in the period, but warned it could still breach its financial covenants. The group said it was “on the brink of going into administration” but the implementation of a restructuring and refinancing plan should provide the platform to secure its longer term future. While JJB believes

  • JJB Sports losses soar amid turmoil

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    Losses soared at the discount sports retailer JJB Sports in the half year to July 26 during a tough period which saw the firm narrowly avoid going into administration.

  • Mitchells & Butlers to beat profit forecasts

    Thursday 24 Sep 2009

    Pub group Mitchells & Butlers expects earnings for the current year to be slightly above current market estimates thanks to its improved sales performance. The All Bar One and O’Neill’s owner reported same outlet like-for-like sales growth of 2.6% in the 10 weeks to 19 September. In the 51 weeks, same outlet like-for-like sales growth was 1.6% and total retail sales were up by 3.4%.

  • CBI predicts tough 18 months for UK

    Wednesday 23 Sep 2009

    Britain faces a tough eighteen months even if it does start to pull out of recession, employers' organisation the CBI said today.

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