Ben Gordon's rapid exit from Mothercare, only days after it issued a shock profits warning, is a sharp reminder of what life is like in the real world of business. Fail and you're out, albeit with a 12-month pay-off if you can't find another job... more
What on earth has been going on at PureCircle? This is an AIM-listed Malaysian biotech company run by a Russian (do keep up) that has developed the mass production of food and drink sweeteners from a sunflower-like plant called stevia... more
The chief executives and chairmen were certain. There was not a ha'penny's worth of doubt in their minds. The 35 bosses, something close to a who's who of Britain's boardrooms, were so adamant that George Osborne's spending cuts were vital and wise that they wrote a letter to the Daily Telegraph saying so... more
Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson sparks a fierce row after attacking 'politically motivated' senior businessmen for supporting the Government's spending cuts... more
Asda unveils a shock drop in sales, calling into question its business strategy and offering evidence for why it parted company with chief executive Andy Bond... more
Not emerging from the Goldman Sachs CDO affair smelling of roses — perhaps predictably, given their track record — are the credit-rating agencies... more
One of the features of the letter in protest at the Government’s proposed NI increase is the prevalence of retailers - as, City Spy hears, Next's Simon Wolfson was the orchestrator... more
The resignation of Sir David Murray as chairman and director of Glasgow Rangers has sparked speculation as to who may take over the current Scottish Premier League champions should he go the whole distance and offload his majority shareholding ... more
A further addition to the plethora of savage anti-Goldman Sachs articles in America — quite possibly the best of the bunch — comes from US writer Michael Lewis on Bloomberg.com
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Eyebrows were raised when Prince Andrew's one-time friend, billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein, was released six months early from his 18-month prison sentence in Florida for procuring underage girls ... more
London's hedge fund community may have had a torrid time last year but at least its favoured charity, Arki Busson's ARK (or absolute return for kids), has shown the way in moneymaking. In the year to August 2008, its income rose from £32.7 million to £40.2 million. Furthermore, hedge fund turmoil is not expected to affect the levels of pledges. ARK acknowledges that "the level of outstanding donor pledges is considered to be one of the charity's key risks" but that all funding pledges "due for payment have been received to date." So hats off to the generous hedgies and let's hope that spirit continues.... more
SOME would have it that the recent rise in the oil price is evidence of optimism - a sign that the global economy is getting stronger and that the prospects of recession turning into depression have dimmed.... more
Retail: Supermarket giant Asda will create 7,000 new jobs this year, as the group plans to open 14 new stores and expand another 15 existing stores... more
Retail: Asda chief executive Andy Bond today warned next year will be "when things get really tough" for retailers, fuelling fears of mass redudancies on the High Street... more
Vladimir Putin is no slouch. So when he says that he advised BP and its Russian billionaire partners not to set up a 50-50 joint venture, you have to think he is on to something... more
Sound check: German industrial metal band Rammstein literally play with fire in their live performances - and now they are about to unleash their singeing spectacle on London. Watch out for your eyebrows
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