US helps Homeserve grow revenues 15%
24th May 2011 13:47
A growing international footprint combined with rising customer numbers in the UK helped home emergency repairs outfit Homeserve drive underlying revenues 15% higher in the year ended 31 March. Underlying revenue - which excludes income from sub-contract engineers (2011: £41.7m, 2010: nil) - grew f
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Retailers head lower
31st Mar 2011 14:36
Retailers are providing a drag on the index today, with Mothercare, Dixons, Carpetright, Sports Direct and Dunelm losing 4% or more. Baby clothes retailer Mothercare has seen its share price drop by almost a tenth, after margins were squeezed in the quarter to 26 March. Also under the weather is r
Read moreStrong year for Homeserve
31st Mar 2011 10:48
Home emergency repairs outfit Homeserve expects strong growth in full-year profits, as predicted before, and is confident of hitting the top end of its customer growth target. "We continue to see good customer and policy numbers and an excellent performance on retention across all our businesses,"
Read moreNetcall non-exec sells up
29th Mar 2011 16:36
Mark Brooks, who was appointed to the Netcall board following the acquisition of Telephonetics, has sold all his shares in the AIM-quoted telecoms call-back and speech recognition software provider. Brooks had been a director of Telephonetics since March 2008 and joined the Netcall board in July 20
Read moreHomeserve signs up two new US partners
9th Mar 2011 07:22
Home emergency repairs outfit Homeserve has expanded its reach in the USA with two new utility agreements. Homeserve USA has acquired 135,000 home assistance policies of South Jersey Energy Services Plus as they become due for renewal, while it has also signed a long-term agreement with Millennium
Read moreLondon close: Shares applaud Mubarak exit
11th Feb 2011 16:51
Shares rallied sharply in the afternoon following strong confidence figures from the US, but it was the announcement that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak is stepping down that really stirred up excitement. One stock in particular reacted strongly to the announcement. Shares in gold miner Centamin
Read moreFTSE 250 movers: Ocado takes a hit after JL cashes in
11th Feb 2011 15:57
Ocado's share price fell dropped by 14% after 11% shareholder John Lewis cashed in now that the six month lock-up period following last July's float has ended. Also lower is pubs group Mitchells and Butlers after naming senior independent director Simon Burke as its new chairman, taking over from
Read moreLondon afternoon: L&G leads modest advance
11th Feb 2011 14:11
Leading shares are mixed but with a slightly firmer bias after rising over the lunchtime session. Insurer Legal & General (L&G) leads the advance on the back of a positive broker note from Nomura Securities. "We highlight our preference for L&G over Prudential (Reduce), given that we expect Pru to
Read moreLondon midday: FTSE 100 back above 6,000
11th Feb 2011 12:18
The FTSE 100 is back above 6,000 after a weaker spell earlier but remains in the red. Retailers are among the heaviest fallers after some underwhelming sales figures from the John Lewis. As the department store itself put it, the 1% rise in sales in the week to February 5 from the same period las
Read moreLondon open: Oil groups lift Footsie
11th Feb 2011 09:00
Footsie has rallied from a weak start with resources stocks sparking into life and buyers encouraged by some bid activity among the mid-caps. Support services group Carillion is moving up nicely after agreeing to pay £306.5m for green support services business Eaga. In a deal recommended by Eaga b
Read moreHomeserve keeps outlook unchanged
11th Feb 2011 07:14
Emergency repair service provider Homeserve is still predicting a year of strong growth with profit matching City expectations. Customer and policy numbers were both 14% higher at the end of 2010 than at the same time the previous year, up to 4.8m and 10.9m respectively. "All of our businesses are
Read moreFriday preview: Homeserve, Producer Prices
10th Feb 2011 16:30
Emergency repair service provider Homeserve brings out an interim management statement (IMS) on Friday covering the period from 1 October to the present. "The group has a heavy second half profit weighting, so the IMS is likely to attract a lot of interest. There will also be a lot of focus on upd
Read moreNew M&S chairman goes shopping
24th Nov 2010 17:31
Robert Swannell, the former banker who will soon be the chairman of Marks & Spencer, has bought a big chunk of shares in the High Street retailer. He took 20,000 shares at 372.8p a time, paying just less than 75,000, and now has 70,000. Swannell's appointment at the helm of Marks & Spencer was an
Read moreLondon close: Miners get a hammering
23rd Nov 2010 16:57
Footsie staved off a triple-digit fall by less than half a point as worries over the situation in Korea and the prospect of other European countries joining Ireland in the queue for a bail-out nagged away at investors all day. Asia-focused bank Standard Chartered was hit by worries over the exch
Read moreLondon afternoon: TUI bid rumour revived
23rd Nov 2010 14:11
With the Dow Jones index expected to register a triple-digit fall when Wall Street opens, sentiment in London has dipped further. Fears of debt contagion in the euro-zone are pushing the banks down, with Barclays, Standard Chartered and Lloyds Banking the hardest hit. Royal Bank of Scotland defies
Read more