Flybe Group (FLYB) is preparing to launch services on the lucrative route between Heathrow and German industrial heartlands, threatening to enrage further airline executives left fuming by a Government rescue last week. The planned Dusselfdorf service is part of a route overhaul that includes an additional service between Newquay and Amsterdam, according to industry sources. The Exeter-carrier revealed last week that it would switch a taxpayer-funded service between London and Cornwall from Heathrow to Gatwick from the end of March.
Detailed information about the job performance of more than 900 employees of Regus owner IWG (IWG) was accidentally published online after the shared office business conducted a review of sales staff. A spreadsheet which lists the names and work addresses of hundreds of Regus sales managers alongside detailed reviews of their performance was made accessible to anyone using a simple Google search, The Telegraph has found. IWG hired Applause, a mystery shopping business, to audit its sales staff through covert filming using “spy pens” fitted with miniature cameras. Employee performance data was then published to a page on task management website Trello which had been made public, allowing the files to leak into Google search results.
Capita (CPI) is planning the £200m sale of a clutch of businesses including translation services and events management as it tries to boost margins by focusing on more profitable operations. Sources close to the firm said a £200m-plus price tag has been put on its “specialist services” division. Capita aims to offload it in a single deal, although a break-up is being considered. It is understood to be seeking buyers for nine businesses, which employ about 4,000, before the half-year mark as chief executive Jon Lewis continues his turnaround of the sprawling company which has more than 60,000 staff.
A high court showdown between four rail firms and the Government over a decision to bar them from bidding to run train lines starts today. Stagecoach Group (SGC), Virgin Trains and divisions of French and German state operators SNCF and Arriva say ministers acted unlawfully by concluding their bids were “non-compliant” and kicking them off a tender process. The decision by former transport secretary Chris Grayling ended the running of rail services in the UK by Virgin and Stagecoach after more than two decades. The landmark case is expected to lift the lid on the commercially sensitive and opaque world of rail franchising for the first time since privatisation in the mid-Nineties.
Nick Jones, the new boss of Joules Group (JOUL), the fashion chain known for its countryside chic style, was on a mission to boost morale. On a walking tour of one of its warehouses, he wanted to ensure workers were not too disheartened by the stock blunder that this month triggered a profit warning from what had been one of the high street’s few resilient chains. A spreadsheet error meant Joules sent too many of its brightly coloured wellington boots and patterned blouses to its 124 UK stores from the warehouse and it ran out of its staple items online.
Premier Foods (PFD) enjoyed a festive sales boost as customers bought more than 200 million Mr Kipling mince pies over the Christmas period. Sales at the company, which also owns Ambrosia, Bisto and Angel Delight, grew 2.6% during the 13 weeks to Dec 28 compared with a year earlier. Premier was boosted by demand for cakes and other sweet treats, which grew sales by 8%. Mr Kipling alone generated growth of 10%. Premier Foods also launched a range of vegan grain pots as part of its new Plantastic brand and is preparing to roll out a vegan version of its Oxo beef stock cubes. Chief executive Alex Whitehouse said: “Our biggest brand, Mr Kipling, has again been instrumental to this continuing momentum, with increased sales supported by TV advertising and new product ranges.”
Questor: Travis Perkins (TPK) makeover is bearing fruit and stamp duty reform would help too. Buy. Questor share tip: the builders’ merchant is getting rid of Wickes, the DIY chain, to focus on better opportunities
