Unilever snaps up Russian beauty group
14th Oct 2011 09:30
Consumer goods giant Unilever has strengthened its position in emerging markets with the acquisition of Russian beauty company Concern Kalina for RUB21.5bn (£440m). Kalina's main markets are Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. It employs about 1,900 people. Unilever said Concern's brands such as Silky
Read moreComment: DMGT ponders Northcliffe options
1st Sep 2011 14:20
The closure of the Sunday tabloid the News of the World has given DMGT, publisher of the Mail on Sunday, a big boost. The consequent rise in revenues is likely to make a big difference to full-year profits at Associated Newspapers, DMGT's national newspaper division. Some had speculated that DMGT
Read moreTuesday newspaper round-up: ENRC, London riots, Chicken Tonight, China accuses the US, Barclays
9th Aug 2011 06:07
One of the FTSE's biggest companies has initiated three external investigations into alleged corruption and wrongdoing within the past four years, The Times has discovered. Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), a £10bn copper miner, is understood to have hired investigators for the most rec
Read moreLondon close: Footsie plummets to 5,393
4th Aug 2011 16:29
Hefty losses from large-cap equities dragged the Footsie over 3.43% lower on Thursday, a day after the blue chip index hit its lowest levels in 2011. Moderate falls turned into steep declines as the sell-off accelerated in the afternoon period, on the back of a bad start on Wall Street, which saw th
Read moreSector movers: Metals stocks track copper prices lower
4th Aug 2011 15:12
Poor recent economic data and an uncertain outlook on the global recovery sparked a broad sell-off in the industrial metals and mining sector on Thursday. Worries of a US downgrade, an escalating debt crisis in the Eurozone and slowing manufacturing growth in China have fuelled demand concerns for
Read moreFTSE 100 Movers: Randgold's share price continues to shine
4th Aug 2011 13:02
Gold miner Randgold Resources' share price was flying high after announcing that its second quarter gold production more than tripled, boosted by contributions from its new Tongon and Gounkoto mines and soaring gold prices, sending its shares higher. Randgold said the increased production of 184,7
Read moreLondon midday: Stocks back in the red as Lloyds gives up gains
4th Aug 2011 12:05
Stocks are back in the red now after giving up this morning's partial recovery. Investors have turned sour on Lloyds Banking's results having earlier applauded them. The headline items are a £3.2bn provision for potential claims relating to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance, and under
Read moreLondon open: Lloyds and Unilever join fightback
4th Aug 2011 08:27
Stocks are staging a partial fightback following yesterday's slide, with second quarter results driving many stocks higher. Among those risers is Lloyds Banking. The headline items are a £3.2bn provision for potential claims relating to the mis-selling of payment protection insurance, and underlyin
Read moreUnilever profits up despite cost inflation
4th Aug 2011 07:30
Strong growth in emerging markets helped Anglo-Dutch food and household goods giant Unilever post higher sales and profits in the first half, though margins fell back as price rises failed to wholly offset the impact of higher input costs. The maker of Dove soap, Magnum ice creams and a host of oth
Read moreThursday preview: Lloyds Banking, Aviva, RSA, Unilever, BoE
3rd Aug 2011 15:33
The rash of banking results continues on Thursday with Lloyds Banking, and who better to comment on a part-nationalised fallen banking giant than RBS? "We expect Lloyds 1H11 [first half 2011] results to have relatively little impact on its share price as it presented a 2011 trading update as part o
Read moreReckitt Benckiser rumours drive price higher
5th Jul 2011 09:31
Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of brands as diverse as Cillit Bang, Durex and Nurofen headache tablets, is being pushed higher on persistent rumours it's being lined up for a takeover. In early trading the firm was up 2% at 3,553.00p on speculation the US giant Procter & Gamble is considering a bid.
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: Unilever, LSE, Greece
4th Jul 2011 06:15
Unilever hopes that the promise of a real job from the outset will prove more attractive than an investment bank's pay package in luring top MBA graduates. The maker of Magnum ice cream and Dove soap plans to quadruple the number of workers it hires with the qualification in the next two years to su
Read moreFTSE 100 movers: Autonomy leads the decline
16th Jun 2011 14:12
Just three stocks are making gains, with WPP, Capita and Vodafone edging slightly higher. Meanwhile, Autonomy is the worst performer on the blue chip index, losing over 4%. Engineering peers GKN, IMI and Weir are also lower. The miners are lower today, as global growth fears dampen the markets. Lo
Read moreUnilever's soap disposal keeps OFT happy
16th Jun 2011 13:13
Despite raising concerns over the level of competition in the bar soaps market, the Office of Fair Trade (OFT) has now said that the merger between Unilever and Alberto Culver will not be referred to the Competition Commission. Unilever, owner of Dove soap, was pressured to dispose of the Cidal, Wr
Read moreMonday newspaper round-up: RBS, LSE, IMF, The Prelude
23rd May 2011 06:14
Royal Bank of Scotland is braced for the City regulator to refer to Sir Fred Goodwin's alleged affair with a colleague in its long-awaited report into the bank's collapse. As the fallout from Sir Fred's superinjunction spreads, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has contacted the bank for detail
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