Water firms prepare to flood watchdog with complaints after final Ofwat ruling December 15, 2019 Britain’s water companies are getting ready to launch a deluge of complaints against Ofwat, after the regulator publishes its final financial demands for the industry over the next five years. The regulator stunned the industry in July, when it rejected all but three leading suppliers’ business plans for 2020-2025, in a bid to clean up [...]
Ovo completes purchase of SSE’s retail business January 15, 2020 Ovo today completed the acquisition of SSE’s retail arm on a landmark day for the UK energy sector. The £500m deal will see Ovo take on roughly 3.5m households from the energy giant, meaning it will become the second largest supplier in the country with around 5m customers. Read more: Watchdog gives green light for [...]
What is the outlook for UK dividends in a less certain world? March 16, 2022 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine looks set to exacerbate economic trends which had already been influencing markets. Amid the uncertainty, experienced investors Sue Noffke and Graham Ashby give their views on the outlook for UK dividends. Investors had already been viewing markets in a more cautionary manner, even before Russian troops amassed on the border with [...]
Competition watchdog to examine £1.3bn tie-up between Slug and Lettuce-owner Stonegate and pub chain Ei Group October 11, 2019 The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said it was considering whether the £1.3bn merger between Slug and Lettuce-owner Stonegate and pub chain Ei Group would lessen competition. The watchdog invited comments on the deal from any relevant party by 25 October. Read more: Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate Pub Company to pay £1.3bn for [...]
Future shares boosted after short-seller launches attack February 3, 2020 Publishing group Future saw its shares rise seven per cent this morning, just days after the firm came under attack from a short-seller over the price of its stock. In a trading update, the media group, which publishes specialist trade magazines, said it had continued to grow audience numbers and had seen strong revenue growth. [...]
Inmarsat set to win green light over $3.4bn private buyout October 9, 2019 A blockbuster buyout of British satellite giant Inmarsat looks set to go ahead after clearing a major hurdle this evening. Read more: Government warned SMES can’t live off ‘kind promises’ Inmarsat and its buyers have proposed a series of remedies, such as a pledge to keep the firm in the UK for several years as [...]
Ebay to sell Stubhub to Viagogo for $4bn November 25, 2019 Ebay has agreed to sell its ticket sales platform Stubhub to Viagogo in a deal worth $4.05bn, following pressure from activist investors to offload parts of its business. The auction site bought Stubhub for $310m in 2007, but in March this year it launched a strategic review of its assets following pressure from activist investors [...]
On a charge or out of juice – can EV charging infrastructure keep up with demand? October 11, 2021 One of the most notable trends of the past 18 months has been soaring demand for electric vehicles (EVs). This is particularly the case in Europe, where the share of EVs as a percentage of overall car registrations has grown to almost 10% (chart 1). Other geographies are also now showing renewed signs of strength, [...]
Ryanair wins EU court challenges against KLM and TAP state aid May 19, 2021 Ryanair has this morning won its legal challenges against billions of euros in state aid paid to two European airlines as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. KLM, the Dutch wing of Air France, and Portuguese carrier TAP were granted a combined €4.6bn by the European Commission in response to the crisis in aviation. However, [...]
The tale of Big Tech’s reckoning was spelled out by Rockefeller’s downfall September 23, 2021 The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter described an effective free market as a “gale of creative destruction”. Old companies and outdated ideas would be cast aside by the market’s pursuit of the new, and the consumer would be the winner. It is little surprise then that incumbents tend to do all they can to arrest the [...]