THE DAILY BRIEFING
HIGH FLYING More than 1.5m passengers passed through London
Luton Airport last month, up 6.2pc from the year before. The airport also said it has been granted planning permission for a fully automated £200m 24-hour, 1.4-mile passenger transit line linking the airport terminal with Luton Airport Parkway station.
SCREEN SALE British cinema chain Vue is talking to global rivals about the possibility of putting itself up for sale, its chief executive Tim Richards has revealed.
CASE CLOSED A High Court judge has finished hearing evidence in a dispute between Newcastle United owner and Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley and finance expert, Jeffrey Blue. Blue claims Ashley promised to pay him £15m if he used his expertise to increase Sports Direct’s share price to £8 a share during a night of heavy drinking at a London pub four years ago. Ashley denies the claim.
PROPERTY DEALS Figures from property agents Cushman & Wakefield show £8.8bn was spent on offices and other business premises in London between January and June – up 18pc on the same six months last year – as foreign investors bought buildings in the capital.
ACE FLOAT A company that supplies seats and temporary structures for the Wimbledon Championships will today reveal plans for a £60m float on the AIM stock market. Arena Group says the extra cash will help it to expand.
TALKS HALTED Shares in fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch plummeted 20pc in the US after it revealed it had terminated talks over a potential sale. The company said it has decided to pursue its own turnaround strategy, rather than sell up. Express and American Eagle Outfitters were said to be pondering the purchase.
TASTY FIGURES Food sales rose by 4.7pc in the three months to June, the biggest increase since February 2012, according to the British Retail Consortium.
STREAM WARS The BBC is considering merging the separate apps for its iPlayer service as it tries to take on digital streaming services from Netflix and Amazon.
BEAN COUNTER Shoe retailer Clarks has hired Paul Kenyon, the finance boss of Findus-owner Nomad Foods, as its chief financial officer.