Thomas Cook bookings continue slump
Increased average selling prices provided some relief for Thomas Cook this summer as bookings at the troubled travel agent continued their recent slump. The number of bookings in western Europe…
Player sales lift profits at Arsenal
Arsenal’s reluctant sale of three of its best players last season helped to double pre-tax profits and consolidate its strategy of “living sustainably within our financial means”. To the chagrin…
Tui benefits from turbulence at rival
Tui Travel has continued to take advantage of the woes of its indebted rival tour operator Thomas Cook Group, reporting an increase in its sales of holidays for the forthcoming…
Echo chief executive to step down
Echo Entertainment, the Australian gaming group being stalked by media heir James Packer, has launched a global search for a new chief executive after announcing that Larry Mullin is to…
Domino’s sales hit during Olympics
©Bloomberg Domino’s Pizza is hoping to target continental Europeans with its new stores in Germany and Switzerland Less appetite for takeaways during the Olympic Games, and lower levels of marketing…
Replacement refs stir US football fans’ ire
A pension dispute between the National Football League and its 120 part-time referees has triggered a crisis of confidence for US sport’s most lucrative television franchise. An NFL Referees Association…
Vacation squeeze adds to Iran’s woes
Iran’s middle classes are forgoing holidays abroad as international banking sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme add to their economic woes. Travel agencies, facing higher business costs, have doubled the prices…
European tourism – feeling the chill
It is not just the Duchess of Cambridge whose summer holidays ended badly. That sun-seekers are keeping a tight grip on their wallets was already evident in third-quarter revenues at…
Singapore and F1 sign new 5-year contract
Bernie Ecclestone, the chief executive of Formula One, ended months of uncertainty over the future of the motorsport in Singapore after sealing a last-minute deal with the Singapore government that…
Technology: Zap, tap and go
©Charlie Bibby Trade-off: cashless systems such as Square, which this week scored a $3.25bn valuation, allow shoppers to pay with smartphones and tablets – and businesses to harvest their data…
Optimal Payments takes positive turn
Shares in Optimal Payments took a positive turn after an increase in online card transactions swung the secure money transfer provider to a first half pre-tax profit. The Aim-traded group,…
Music Festivals fails to secure funding
The company behind the popular Benicassim music festival, dubbed Glastonbury-on-sea by festival goers, had its shares suspended on Friday after a near month-long search to secure new funding has proved…
Woodward tackles Man Utd questions
The questions came at Ed Woodward like a wave of Manchester United attacks on a leaky defence. However, the football club’s executive vice-chairman handled his first quarterly conference call since…
Nike and Apple – if the shoe fits
Apple is not the only company offering a shiny new toy this week. Nike will begin selling its latest shoe on Saturday – the LeBron X+, named for LeBron James,…
Family concerns – silence is golden
There is a lot to be said for silence as a dealmaking tactic. It is a favourite of billionaires and family-controlled companies engaged in mergers and acquisitions. There is, of…