Archive for 'Global Businesses' Category
Airbus reports record orders for 2011
Plane maker Airbus has reported record orders for 2011 but has warned that demand for new planes will fall sharply this year.The company said it received 1,419 orders worth about £91 billion ($140 billion) last year, compared with 805 for its fierce US rival Boeing. Demand for the fuel-efficient A320NEO medium-haul jet was particularly strong, [...]
Burberry sales rise 21% on Chinese exports growth
Fashion retailer Burberry has announced a 21% rise in fourth quarter sales as Chinese export growth continues.In the last quarter of 2011, revenue at the firm – famed for its camel, red and black check pattern – rose to £574 million with sales in Chinese shops up 30%. The firm opened a new flagship store [...]
Bloomsbury sales improve with ebook success
Publisher Bloomsbury has reported strong fourth quarter trading, helped by cook books and a 38% jump in ebook sales.The firm said its bestsellers included River Cottage Veg Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and Heston at Home by Heston Blumenthal. Bloomsbury also said that its sales of Harry Potter box sets continued to be strong. It added [...]
Apps downloads hit record high at the end of December
For the first time more than a billion apps have been downloaded in a single week according to new research.Analytics firm Flurry said 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of December. Activity was buoyed by the facts that many users received new devices for Christmas and firms offered discounted apps over the [...]
Luxury carmaker Bentley sees sales rise 37% in 2011
Luxury carmaker Bentley has reported a 37% rise in sales in 2011, claiming global demand has returned to pre-recession levels.The Crewe-based firm sold 7,003 cars, whose prices start at £133,000, in the year to December 31. The US continues to be Bentley’s number one market with 2,021 cars sold in 2011, an increase of 32%. [...]
Toyota seeks to boost production by 20%
Toyota has said it plans to increase production by 20% next year as it tries to recover ground lost due to March’s earthquake in Japan and the recent floods in Thailand.The company aims to produce 8.48 million vehicles in 2012 and increase sales by a quarter to 8.65 million. Toyota is due to lose its [...]
UK car production up for sixth month in November
Car production in the UK rose for the sixth straight month in November according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).A total of 136,111 cars were made last month, up 8.5% from the same point last year. UK engine production rose by 1.7% in November. “UK vehicle and engine production continues to lead [...]
Car parts firm Cobra UK to create 49 jobs
A new £12 million order to supply General Motors (GM) with parts will see the UK company double its workforce.Welshpool-based Cobra UK has won a contract to provide load space covers for the Vauxhall Astra, which is made at a plant in Cheshire. The expansion will create 49 jobs, taking the workforce to nearly 100. [...]
UK trade deficit narrows as exports hit a record growth
The UK’s trade deficit narrowed sharply in October, as the value of exports hit a record high new official figures have shown.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the deficit in goods fell to £7.6 billion, down from £10.2 billion September. Exports of goods rose to a record £26.5 billion, while imports fell from September’s [...]
Mulberry trebles profits as sales remain high
Luxury fashion group Mulberry has trebled its half year profits thanks to strong retail sales.The leather goods maker said that pre tax profits rose to £15.6 million in the six months to September, up from £4.7 million in the same period last year. In early trading, shares in Mulberry jumped 2.5% to £15.31. The Chilcompton-based [...]