The wider blue chip index finished the day in positive territory, rising 6.8 points to 4.086.5.Galen Holdings, which earlier this week abandoned takeover talks with Barr Laboratories, rose 9.5p to 608.5p on talk that Johnson & Johnson is mulling a bid. Analysts were sceptical and suggested that stale bulls of the stock, who had bet on a deal with Barr, were spreading the rumours in the hope of exiting their loss-making positions at a better price. Soco International rose 5p to 353.5p on news that its CNV-2XA appraisal well in Vietnam was rich with hydrocarbons. Ed Story, Soco's chief executive, said the well is on course to become commercially viable.Vague whispers of a bid pushed Corin, the maker of orthopaedic devices, 8p higher to 168.5p.
One name said to be mulling a move on Corin is Smith & Nephew, 2p higher at 363p. Sector specialists poured cold water on talk linking S&N with a move on the group in the near term. They reckon S&N is far to busy trying to win control of its Swiss rival Centerpulse.Vanco, the telecom services group, was 10.5p higher at 172p after unveiling three new contract wins worth £11m. The new contracts came from global aggregates group RMC, the European cosmetics and perfume retailer Sephora, and Coperion, a technology firm.ITE Group, the exhibitions organiser, jumped 4p to 42.5p as Lawrie Lewis, the former chairman of the company, sold his 6 per cent stake. The stock was placed by Investec Securities with various institutions.
Austin Reed ticked 0.5p higher to 142p as Shami Ahmed upped his stake in the retailer to 9.1 per cent. The Joe Bloggs entrepreneur is said to be looking to add still more to his holding.Armour, the in car entertainment group, rose 1.5p to 35.5p after an upbeat meeting with private client stock brokers in the Square Mile. Demand for Armour's line in hands-free mobile phone equipment is expected to receive a boost from new legislation due to take effect from 1 December. The new law leaves drivers facing a fine if they are caught using hand-held mobile phones while driving. London Clubs International gave up 1.5p to 33.5p ahead of results today.Regus, the much-talked-of office space group, was 0.5p higher to 34.25p as bulls of the stock continued to suggest that a tender offer for 10 to 15 per cent of the company, from Indigo Capital, is just around the corner. They reckon Indigo, which already controls 14 per cent of Regus, is willing to offer 50p a share..
Marco Pierre White was born in Leeds in 1961. His father, Frank, was a chef; his Italian mother, Maria Rosa, died when he was seven. At 16 he was apprenticed as a chef at the Hotel St George in Harrogate. In 1986 he opened his first restaurant, Harvey's, in Wandsworth, south-west London, where his sous-chef was Gordon Ramsay. In 1996, while working at his eponymous restaurant in London's Hyde Park Hotel, he became the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars - which he returned in 1999 when he stopped cooking He is married to Mati They have two sons (one also called Marco) and a daughter. He is now a writer and restaurateur, overseeing various establishments.
