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The Business Matrix: Tuesday 14 October 2014

 

Monday 13 October 2014 15:39 EDT
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Heathrow sees freight surge

Heathrow saw an 8 per cent surge in freight traffic in September, prompting the London airport, which handles a quarter of British exports by value, to again make the case for building another runway. Larger and fuller planes also saw its passenger numbers hit a September record of 6.6 million, up 0.3 per cent on a year ago.

Charity company set to list on AIM

The People’s Operator, which offers mobile contracts that allow users to donate 10 per cent of their bill to a charity or cause of their choice, is set to list on AIM. The company, which also gives 25 per cent of its profits to charity and is backed by Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales, could be valued at up to £100m.

YouGov enjoys 12% rise in profits

YouGov, the pollster that accurately forecast the Scottish referendum result with its election night poll, has posted a 12 per cent rise in underlying annual profits to £7.7m on sales up 8 per cent to £67m. Its chief executive, Stephan Shakespeare, is in line for a share award worth close to £7.5m if it hits “stretching” targets.

BSkyB invests in another US firm

BSkyB has made another investment on the West Coast of America, putting $500,000 (£300,000) into Los Angeles-based online video aggregator Pluto.TV. The British pay-TV giant said it is eager to stay on top of “new trends in the way people watch TV”. It has made a string of investments in Silicon Valley firms.

Brent oil price lowest since 2010

Brent oil prices fell more than $2 a barrel to less than $88, its lowest since 2010, after key Middle East producers signalled that they would keep output high even if that meant lower prices. Brent oil prices have tanked by nearly 25 per cent since June as ample supply coincided with weak demand.

Ineos buys second Scots shale licence

The petrochemicals group Ineos has bought its second shale gas licence in Scotland. It has bought an 80 per cent stake in a Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence from Reach Coal Seam Gas in the Midland Valley area of Scotland. It already has a stake in a licence around its Grangemouth refinery.

South African Wonga boss exits

The chief executive of the South African arm of the payday lender Wonga has stepped down in the latest high-profile departure. Kevin Hurwitz, who launched Wonga in South Africa two years ago, resigned at the end of September. Wonga is looking for a replacement.

De La Rue signs new 10-year deal

De La Rue has signed a new 10-year contract with the Bank of England to print banknotes at the Bank’s facility in Debden, Essex. The deal with the Basingstoke firm comes a month after it was named as preferred bidder for the contract, which includes plastic notes.

Totaljobs reports record growth

Recruitment website Totaljobs.com has reported an 8 per cent month-on-month rise in the number of jobs posted on the site in September, as well as record yearly growth of 14 per cent. New jobs in transport and logistics contributed to the growth.

Anxious wait for top EU bankers

Top bankers across the EU will find out in coming days if their pay contracts could be torn up as regulators report on whether new “allowances” at many banks, especially in London, should fall under the bloc’s cap on bonuses.

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