The Business Matrix: Saturday 13 April 2013

Benckiser buys Douwe Egberts

The maker of Douwe Egberts coffee has agreed a £6bn takeover from the private equity firm which owns Jimmy Choo shoes. DE Master Blenders 1753 has accepted the bid from Joh A Benckiser, the Reimann family's investment unit, which former Reckitt boss Bart Becht chairs.

Banks avoiding loans to business

Britain's banks are less willing than before the financial crisis to lend to small businesses, according to NIESR research commissioned by the Government. The findings are at odds with bank claims that weak lending is due to firms' unwillingness to invest in an uncertain economy.

Facebook fiasco costs Nasdaq CEO

The chief executive of the Nasdaq stock exchange has seen his annual bonus slashed by nearly two-thirds following its calamitous handling of the flotation of the social network Facebook last year. Robert Greifeld's payout has been cut by £542,100 to $1.35m.

Heathrow boosted by bmi takeover

British Airways' strategy of buying bmi and using its slots to fly long-haul to China and South Korea has helped Heathrow to see a record 5.9 million passengers in its terminals in March, up 3.9 per cent on a year ago. The early Easter and sun seekers also helped European traffic grow.