The Beginning of Regular Posts

Hi all,Sorry for not posting for a while, been pretty busy really. This is hopefully the first of daily posts taking a look at current affairs and other items of interest.....

What is Bennison Holdings:- As the name suggests Bennison Holdings is a holding company. It is comprised of three divisions - Innovation & Research, Operations and Investments. Operations contains the main company Commonwealth Intelligence (CI) which is devoted providing intelligence and consultancy to promote British business interests at home and abroad. Investments manages any investments held by other divisions of the business. Innovation and Research comprises divisions borne out of the need for specific solutions. For example Airborne Sensors is developing a cheap airborne surveillance sensor for CI. This division also includes a small mathematics company that is developing a software package, however this a very small effort.

World Trade Talks:- As you have probably heard the latest trade talks being held in Geneva have failed. Peter Mandelson, the EU Trade Commissioner was heard saying that it wasn't inevitable. Personally I disagree with this view as the american negotiating team is likely to have been leaned on by many big businesses that wouldn't be happy with losing farming subsidies etc.

Tesco Finance:- Tesco have recently bought the 50% stake held by RBS in the Tesco's personal finance business, this means that Tesco now has sole ownership of it's personal finance division and can grow and expand without worrying about damaging RBS's market share. At the moment TPF have 5.5 million customers, 4.3% of the car insurance market, 390,000 savings accounts and a 6.9% share of the credit card market (this equates to 1.3 million credit card customers), so there is plenty of room for expansion. Apparently Tesco will consider launching a basic bank account in the future, but to do this will need approval from the FSA. Tesco is one company that I keep a close eye on, so I'm sure I will be posting more about Tesco in the future.

That's all for today, more tomorrow ...

Welcome

Welcome to this, the first post on the official blog of Bennison Holdings (BH). For those of you unaware of just exactly what Bennison Holdings is there shall be an entry in the near future describing in more detail the structure of BH.

It is my intention to post daily with company news and viewpoints on issues from around the world impacting on company operations etc. I shall also post up closing prices for major stock indices and selected shares, and any of my own comments on price movements.

I shall end this post with a poem that I read again today, and think is a useful maxim for me (and any staff at BH) to follow, it is "If .." by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good,

nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!