MBS News

Monday
August 09, 2010

Industry headlines from Moira Benigson Executive Search

Retail

Retailers Buy Christmas Stock Cautiously

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, retailers are planning to stock cautiously in the run up to the crucial Christmas trading period due to uncertainty over the economy and concern over house prices.

B&M Bargains Threats Spark Value Sector Fury

Variety chain B&M Bargains has threatened suppliers that it will stop dealing with them if they supply its rivals, sparking outcry in the fiercely competitive value sector.

CVC To Buy Autobar From Charterhouse For €1.2bn

CVC Capital Partners has agreed a deal to acquire Autobar, a vending machine operator from Charterhouse for €1.2bn.

Consumer Goods

China's Yashili Baby Formula Group Prepares For IPO

China's Yashili Group, an infant-formula manufacturer which is part-owned by Carlyle Group, is planning an IPO for later this year, as the sector tries to recover from food safety problems.

Northern Foods Agrees To Sell Dalepak

Northern Foods has reached an agreement to sell its Dalepak Frozen Foods business to the Irish Food Processors Group for about £6.4m.

Digital And Online

Google Buys Slide Social Media For $182m

Google has acquired the social networking company Slide for $182m, in addition to the $46m it paid in employee retention bonuses.

Fashion, Lifestyle And Luxury

Jimmy Choo Owners Consider Sale

The owners of designer footwear label Jimmy Choo are reportedly considering putting the business up for sale, in a move expected to fetch up to £500m.

Levi's Eyes Market Gain With New Women's Line

Levi Strauss & Co is to focus on women's shapes, rather than size, with its new range of Curve ID jeans.

Arts And Culture

Lehman Art Pieces To Go Under The Hammer

Corporate memorabilia and works of art that previously decorated the Lehman Brothers offices are to be auctioned by Christie’s in London next month and are expected to fetch about £2m.

Travel And Leisure

M&B Sells Off Hollywood Bowl

Mitchells & Butlers has sold its Hollywood Bowl chain to AMF Bowling for £39m.

On The Move

iPhone Exec Departs Apple After "Antennagate"

Mark Papermaster, the Apple executive responsible for iPhone engineering, has left the company over the "Antennagate" scandal that involved complaints of poor reception on the iPhone 4.

Carphone Founder Joins Jensen Board

Carphone Warehouse founder, Charles Dunstone, has joined the board of Jensen International Automotive after investing in the company.

The Weatherman Says...

Summer is still here and gorgeous. Mild and balmy, sunny and lazily warm.....especially with red wine hangover. My Aussie mate with a bigger beard than mine came over for a chin wag and dinner. This guy is a hardcore adventurer: next year, he is planning a trek to the south pole and wants to kite surf back out of there....I wouldn't fancy dropping the kite in the water on that trip!