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There are 17 people on the board of advertising giant WPP Group. How many can you name?
Well, obviously there's chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell and then er … oh, wait a minute … no, it's gone.
Even City folk can struggle to recall anybody other than the group's diminutive founder when pressed for a lineup of WPP directors. This bout of amnesia may reflect the self-publicising abilities of the other 16, it may be the result of the shortest knight being rather partial to hogging the limelight (and the media indulging him), or it may be a combination of the two. But whatever the explanation, don't expect too many other views to be sought at this week's interim results.
Themes to watch for will be the effects of foreign exchange movements on WPP margins – as well as global macroeconomics – though the most eagerly awaited bit is usually when the great performer has a pithy soundbite that can be repeated ad nauseam.
Strangely, one intriguing Sir Martin tale that's struggled to generate many reprints is a gem of an eyewitness account of the garage at the tycoon's Belgravia home, published by the website Popbitch earlier this year.
"Martin has four big pictures on the wall of his garage," the spy relayed. "All big portraits of himself." Which rather makes you wonder: just how many WPP directors can Sorrell name?
Co-op's Breaking Bank set for big finale
After being hooked on countless episodes of drama revolving around a plot packed with money, sex and drugs, the nation is set to tune in for the season finale in the real-life version of the US crystal meth show Breaking Bad.
You may have been watching this series under its British name – Breaking Bank: How the Co-operative Group Went Off its Head – but following a season where fans have been gripped by the peccadillos of a lay member, a rescue of the stricken bank and the proposal of mind-blowing pay awards, the cast will finally gather in Manchester on Saturday to vote on the organisation's future.
The package on the table this time is an overhaul of the Co-op's governance practices, which, if voted through, will supposedly mean that the mutual starts behaving more professionally (or, at least, puts executives on its board for the first time in its 150-year history).
Anyway, around 150 Co-op representatives have a vote and the chance to speak. If that sounds like it might drag on until the next series, fear not. A spokesman soothes: "It should all last about two hours."
Just what has he been smoking?
Bijou bubble
If you visit the Foxtons website, you might notice how this one posh estate agent has 52 Mayfair properties with seven- or eight-figure asking prices.
Bankers on a tight budget could set themselves up with a one-bedroom flat – and if they're the picky type who notices that for £1m their solitary bedroom overlooks a brick wall, they will no doubt be swayed by the agent's patter about the separate kitchen.
Anyway, it is instructive to look at this type of detail as we survey stories about the London property market coming to a halt. This month the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and estate agent Haart reported that the capital's market was slowing, with falling July sales and the sharpest drop in new buyers since the financial crisis. There are also rumours that sanctions against Russians are biting.
Which brings us back to London-focused Foxtons and its interim results this week. Its website shows that the market clearly hasn't crashed, but there is a sense that the good times have passed, at least for now. Even its own broker, Credit Suisse, has moved from telling clients Foxtons shares are a screaming buy to a more nuanced rare opportunity to acquire a well-appointed stock with bags of potential. That's paraphrased only slightly.
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