National Business News from nebusiness, The Journal and Evening Gazette

RBS boss speaks out on bonus row Feb 08 2012

Royal Bank of Scotland boss Stephen Hester admitted today he had "underestimated" the furore his £1m bonus would cause.Read

Virgin Media creates 620 jobs Feb 08 2012

Cable operator Virgin Media is to create 620 new jobs as it looks to meet demand for its broadband and television on-demand service.Read

Losses widen at Thomas Cook Feb 08 2012

The struggle at tour operator Thomas Cook was laid bare today as the beleaguered company revealed heavier losses - but offered some hope with robust summer bookings.Read

TUI Travels sees losses widen Feb 07 2012

Thomson Holidays owner TUI Travel capitalised on the woes at Thomas Cook today by revealing that summer bookings outpaced the market during January.Read

BP increases dividend Feb 07 2012

BP signalled a further step in its recovery today by hiking its payout for shareholders for the first time since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.Read

Tesco 'to delay current account launch' Feb 06 2012

Banking customers hoping to open a current account with Tesco will have to wait until next year after its launch was delayed, it was reported today.Read

Game wins support from lenders Feb 03 2012

Struggling computer games retailer Game has been handed a lifeline after its lenders agreed to revise the firm’s banking facilities.Read

BT promises ultra-fast broadband Feb 03 2012

Telecoms firm BT stepped up the pace of its broadband expansion today by promising "ultra-fast" speeds of up to 300Mb by next spring.Read

Unilever increases profits after price hikes Feb 02 2012

Unilever scraped a small rise in 2011 profits today after price hikes and cost savings offset difficult markets.Read

Shell profits soar Feb 02 2012

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell today reported profits of £18.1bn for 2011, a jump of 54% on a year ago.Read

AstraZeneca to axe jobs Feb 02 2012

Pharmaceuticals giant AstraZeneca said today that it will axe 7,300 jobs by the end of 2014 as part of a fresh round of cost savings.Read

Argos brings in US expert Feb 01 2012

An American who has held senior positions at BestBuy and department store Sears was handed the task of reviving catalogue chain Argos today.Read

Kindle fails to stop Amazon profit dip Feb 01 2012

A doubling in UK sales of its Kindle ebook reader failed to stop Amazon - the world’s biggest online retailer - suffering a profits slump today.Read

Carpetright issues profits warning Jan 31 2012

The trading woes of the country’s largest floor-covering retailer showed no signs of easing today after it issued a fresh profits warning.Read

Water bills to rise Jan 31 2012

Water and sewerage bills are to rise by around £20 from April, regulator Ofwat has said.Read

BSkyB reveals internet TV service Jan 31 2012

Broadcaster BSkyB started the fightback against competition Netflix and YouView today as it announced a new internet TV service.Read

Cost-cutting Ryanair boosts revenues Jan 30 2012

Ryanair’s profit hopes continued to climb today after December’s benign weather helped the airline deliver a 13% rise in quarterly revenues.Read

Rank in talks with Gala Coral Jan 30 2012

The creation of the UK’s biggest casino operator was on the cards today after Mecca bingo owner Rank confirmed talks over a deal with Gala Coral.Read

Strong festive sales for brewer Marston's Jan 27 2012

Pedigree and Hobgoblin brewer Marston’s has joined rival pub chains in reporting strong sales over Christmas and New Year.Read

Hornby profits hit by weak Christmas demand Jan 27 2012

Toy firm Hornby has admitted its profits have been knocked off track by weak demand for train sets and Scalextric racing cars over Christmas.Read

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