London afternoon: Burberry eases after third quake
11th Apr 2011 14:15
The Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) has issued its interim report on changes proposed for the sector, and while Lloyds Banking has had a grumble about the ICB's recommendation that it should have to sell more than 600 branches, the market's reaction is that the report looks favourable for th
Read moreCompass gobbles up Indian catering outfits
11th Apr 2011 07:43
Catering titan Compass has added to its Indian operations with the acquisition of two catering outfits in the fast growing Asian economy. It has bought Delhi-based Vipul Facility Management (VPM), which has gross assets of 342.2m Indian rupees (£5.2m) and Hyderabad-based Ultimate Hospitality Servic
Read moreCompass beefs up support services capability
6th Apr 2011 08:02
Contract caterer Compass Group has acquired UK support services company PPP-Infrastructure Management. The company is being acquired from Semperian PPP Investment Partners Group for an undisclosed fee. The annual revenue of PPP-Infrastructure Management totalled £19.7m last year, and gross assets
Read moreSunday tips round-up: Compass, CPP, Firestone Diamonds
3rd Apr 2011 13:09
The Mail on Sundays says it could be time for cautious investors to get out of CPP, the identity theft and credit card insurer that saw its share price fall by two-fifths last week after the Financial Services Authority (FSA) said it was investigating the company. The FSA is looking into the way CPP
Read moreFriday tips round-up: 888, Petropavlovsk, Compass
1st Apr 2011 06:29
The best that can be said about the full-year results from 888 Holdings is that profits did not collapse quite as badly as feared. The online bookie reported a 56% slide in pre-tax profits to $15.1 million (£9.4m) from revenues up 6.2 per cent at $262.1m. Sell, says the Times. Russian gold miner Pe
Read moreLondon close: Shares in late dive
31st Mar 2011 17:19
A late dive sent London's top share index firmly into the red ahead of the close having been flat all day ahead of Ireland's banking stress test. Ireland's central bank said the ailing economy's banks need €24bn (£21bn) to stay afloat. Gold miner Randgold Resources was the star performer in the m
Read moreLondon afternoon: Weak retailers offset strong miners
31st Mar 2011 14:41
Footsie is stuck in neutral, though the flat performance is largely down to strong demand for mining stocks. Gold miner Randgold Resrouces is the star performer in the mining sector after reporting a 55 increase in its attributable mineral resources and reserves for the year to December 2010. T
Read moreLondon midday: Shares fall back
31st Mar 2011 12:18
Shares have slipped into negative territory after a stuttering start on another bad day for the retailers. Tour operator TUI Travel is higher after saying underlying trading has been "satisfactory" during the last six months. Like Thomas Cook on Tuesday, it has not changed its estimate of the cost
Read moreLondon pre-open: Small lead expected
31st Mar 2011 07:37
UK blue chips look like eking out a handful of gains when trading gets underway at 8am following a decent session in the US last night. In company news, Contract caterer Compass's good start to the new financial year has continued through the six-month period, leaving it comfortable with forecasts
Read moreCompass happy with year forecasts
31st Mar 2011 07:07
Contract caterer Compass's good start to the new financial year has continued through the six-month period, leaving it comfortable with forecasts for the full-year. In a statement ahead of interims on 18 May, the firm said constant currency revenue growth, including the impact of acquisitions, was
Read moreTwo US acquisitions by Compass
8th Mar 2011 16:34
Caterer Compass Group is making two acquisitions in the US. Coffee Distributing Corp is the largest office coffee and refreshment company in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This purchase will provide Compass with wider geographic coverage. The business generated revenue of $63.5m (£39.9m) in
Read moreCompass food inflation worries overdone, Killik says
7th Mar 2011 15:54
Contract caterer Compass is still a "buy" at Killik Capital, which thinks concerns about the sharp increase in food inflation have hit the shares unfairly. Investors have worried that the business won't be able to pass on higher costs, but the broker points out that the firm's business model provid
Read moreFriday tips round-up: Unilever, Compass, GlaxoSmithKline...
4th Feb 2011 06:48
Views on consumer giant Unilever vary. The bulls say that the company's strong brands offer an ideal way into emerging markets. The bears yesterday were worrying about margins. The markets that Unilever occupies are fiercely competitive, and the cost of the commodities it needs are rocketing. As o
Read moreLondon close: Shell continues to provide a drag
3rd Feb 2011 17:05
Footsie failed to hang on to yesterday's 6,000 level and finished 0.28% lower despite Wall Street beginning to recover from its early morning lows towards the end of the London trading session. Royal Dutch Shell stayed the heaviest faller in London despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profi
Read moreLondon afternoon: Losses grow
3rd Feb 2011 15:26
London is back near intraday lows after an early sell-off on Wall Street. Royal Dutch Shell is still down despite more than quadrupling fourth quarter profits thanks to higher energy prices, an increase in production and cost-cutting. Earnings for the last three months of 2010 on a current cost of
Read more