Birmingham Post

Domino's Plans Expansion After Record Year

Domino's Pizza has unveiled a large scale expansion plan in Birmingham as it achieved a record performance in 2005. The company aims to double the number of stores it has in the city as its sales breached the pounds 200 million barrier for the first time.

Tnt Counts the Cost of Resolving Tax Problems

Mail company TNT yesterday admitted that resolving its tax issues could cost it as much as pounds 376.7 million. Following a long running investigation into the position of unnamed subsidiaries, TNT said its contingent tax liability was between pounds 102.7 million and pounds 376.7 million. Analysts' estimates had ranged from pounds 273.9 million to pounds 547.9 million.

Improved Trading for Titan Europe

Midlands off-road wheel manufacturer Titan Europe has revealed a significant boost in 2005 trading over the previous year. However the company said the increase in sales had been hit by price increases caused by rising material prices.

Laxey Reduces Its Stake in Wyevale

Herefordshire garden chain Wyevale could be on the brink of a new owner after its largest investor halved its stake. Laxey Partners, which forced the removal of chairman David Williams following two EGMS last year, sold 14.9 per cent of its 28.7 per cent holding yesterday.

Persimmon Builds On Tricky 2005

Persimmon - the UK's largest housebuilder - has seen a much stronger start to the year than 12 months ago after chalking up record profits in a "demanding" 2005. Customers tempted by lower-priced properties and strong forward orders helped the firm, which is the parent company of Wolverh amp ton-based Persimmon Homes West Midlands, build a 5.9 per cent rise in pretax profits to pounds 495.4 million.

Digest: Vodka Link

Digest: Handbag Sale

Digest: Bunzl 'Excellent'

Digest: Asda Ballot

Pounds 10,000 to Move to Liverpool

Land Rover is offering pounds 10,000 a head to employees who opt to move to Merseyside when production of the Freelander transfers to the Jaguar plant at Halewood. The offer is part of an industry-leading redundancy package offered to more than 1,000 Lode Lane workers who will lose their jobs following the decision to build the new generation "baby Land Rover" at the under-utilised former Ford Escort plant.

Share Prices: Corporate Flurry Helps Footsie Toward 5900 ; Market Report

Hopes of consolidation in the energy sector yesterday combined with a flurry of corporate results to send the FTSE 100 Index towards the 5900 mark. Property developer Hammerson kicked off one of the busiest weeks of the year for corporate results with better-than-expected figures to send the stock up five per cent and head the top flight leaders board.

Marriage of Convenience Could Help Brum Punch Its Weight

Do we need another Vincent Hanna type? He came into Birmingham as a kind of early spin doctor a decade and more ago...and after a fashion it worked.

Ricardo Getting Into Gear

Flagship supercar transmission work in the Midlands has helped drive profits forward for major UK automotive consultant Ricardo. Pretax profits were up 37 per cent to pounds 4.2 million for the six months ending on December 31, 2005.

Midlands Set to Get More Primark Stores

Associated British Foods plans to target the Midlands to expand its Primark chain, the company has revealed. A spokesman said ABF already intends to open two new stores by the end of this year at refitted former Littlewoods sites in Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

Home Loans Down but Still Up On Last Year

The number of loans taken out for new mortgages in the UK dipped further in January from the previous month, but remained substantially higher than the equivalent period last year, a leading industry body said yesterday. The British Bankers Association said the number of mortgage approvals during the month fell by about 12 per cent in January to 45,039 from December's 51,233.

Sales of Battle Systems Create Blip On Ultra's Profits Radar

Defence specialist Ultra Electronic Holdings yesterday posted an 18 per cent rise in annual underlying profits - boosted by sales of battle and airport information systems. The group, which has a major facility at Rugeley in Staffordshire, said pretax profits for the year to December 31 climbed from pounds 40.1 million to pounds 47.4 million. Operating profits rose from pounds 43.3 million to pounds 51.1 million.

Alliance Bigger Slice of Market

Alliance & Leicester stole a march on its high street banking rivals yesterday after claiming a greater share of new business. The group said revenues from its four key product areas in retail banking, including mortgages and current accounts, rose by more than five per cent during a year when operating profits improved to pounds 548 million from pounds 540 million.

Pearson Gets Hefty Rise From Education

Publishing giant Pearson has reported a hefty 23 per cent rise in full-year profit helped by a strong educational publishing market. The group was also boosted by a recovery in advertising revenues at the Financial Times.

Strongest Rise in Demand for Midland Rentals Since 2003

Demand for rental properties in the West Midlands during the three months to January 31 showed the strongest rise since the end of 2003, according to the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors' latest lettings survey today. New instructions saw the sharpest rise since the second half of 2003 and rental levels continued to increase, though at slightly slower pace than in the previous quarter.

Stronger Tenant Demand Helps Hammerson Beat Expectations

Property giant Hammerson - one of the three partners behind Birmingham's hugely successful Bullring shopping centre - yesterday beat market expectations with a 31 per cent rise in net asset value, buoyed by strong capital flows into the sector. Hammerson, whose portfolio is heavily weighted to retail, also said it expected stronger tenant demand in prime regional shopping centres and that recently renewed contracts would continue to boost rental income in 2006.