British American Tobacco in €550m Croatian deal to buy TDR from Adris Grupa June 1, 2015 British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to extend its reach into the Balkans after the cigarette giant agreed to purchase TDR from Croatia’s Adris Grupa yesterday for €550m (£394m). BAT, which last year had a global market share of 12 per cent in tobacco products, said it will benefit from TDR’s strong brand presence in [...]
Tritax Big Box sets its sights on Tesco real estate with £47m bid June 1, 2015 Real estate management firm Tritax Big Box confirmed it will acquire Tesco’s regional distribution centre at Capitol Park in Goole for £47m yesterday. The deal, which has been funded through equity proceeds, will see Tritax take over the site which has a 17.5 year unexpired lease and is expected to yield a 5.67 per cent [...]
Optimal Payments gets go ahead for €1bn Skrill takeover June 1, 2015 Optimal Payments came a step closer to its reverse takeover of Skrill yesterday after the firm said it had met several of the conditions necessary for the deal. The announcement is the latest sign of progress since Optimal stated its intention to conduct the reverse takeover, worth €1.1bn (£791m), in March. The deal will see [...]
Corruption crackdown adds to Macau woe as gambling slumps June 1, 2015 The ongoing slump afflicting Macau’s gaming industry shows no sign of abating after figures released yesterday revealed a 37 per cent plunge in year-on-year revenues for May. The decline represents the twelfth consecutive month of year-on-year falls after Macau’s Gaming Inspection & Coordination Bureau said revenues for the period fell to $2.6bn (£1.7bn). Macau, which [...]
Aveva expands portfolio with FabTrol buyout June 1, 2015 Aveva Group has agreed to acquire Oregon-based software firm FabTrol in a deal worth $6.5m (£4.2m), it announced yesterday. FabTrol, which is currently owned by Dowco Group, specialises in the provision of management software for the steel fabrication industry. Aveva views the acquisition as a way of further integrating this technology into its existing Bocad [...]
Chinese equities – a steady bull market? Despite risks, stocks will continue to rise in coming months June 1, 2015 Despite a six per cent sell-off on Thursday, the Chinese equity markets made fresh gains yesterday. Shanghai’s CSI 300 index rose 4.86 per cent to 5,076.18, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 4.72 per cent to 4,828.74, following a 136.9 per cent increase in the last 12 months. These gains came despite relatively weak market [...]
HSBC expected to unveil thousands of job cuts June 1, 2015 HSBC is expected to unveil thousands more job cuts as the lender attempts to improve profitability. Chief executive Stuart Gulliver is thought to be planning to reveal plans to slash as many as 20,000 jobs at an investor presentation next week, Sky News reported. The scandal-hit bank has been under pressure from shareholders in recent months. [...]
Fancy a buffet with Warren Buffett? World’s most expensive power lunch with the Oracle of Omaha goes under the hammer (again) June 1, 2015 There are some things you can't put a price on, but having lunch with the Oracle of Omaha is not one of them. The annual action to have lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett is underway and already bids have risen above $1,000,500. There are three days and several hours left to get [...]
Mike Ashley adds MegaValue.com high street store to Sports Direct business June 1, 2015 Mike Ashley rarely sits still. With his ownership of the beleaguered Newcastle United dominating the headlines, the Sports Direct owner has quietly added a new high street business to his interests. Read more: Rangers and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley has too much power, says IoD The subtly-titled MegaValue.com is a new discount store that recently appeared [...]
Former British Gas director Michael Uzielli spends first day as Heathrow CFO June 1, 2015 Former British Gas financial director Michael Uzielli has taken up the reins as chief financial officer of Heathrow, weeks before the Airports Commission announces its decision over a third runway for the airport. Read more: Sir Howard Davies says third runway will deliver more benefits at Heathrow than Gatwick. Uzielli's appointment was announced in [...]
