Sharp rise in profits and asset values as John Laing Group’s share price jumps August 23, 2018 Infrastructure investor John Laing Group’s share price climbed more than eight per cent in early morning trading, as the firm posted a rise in both net asset value (NAV) and profits for the first half of 2018. The FTSE 250 company’s NAV hit £1.51bn by the end of June, compared with £1.12bn in December last [...]
Kingfisher hurt by French unit again September 19, 2018 Kingfish posted a 14.7% fall in first-half pre-tax profit to £375 million, while analysts were anticipating £386 million. The French business was the underperformer of the group, while the British and Polish operations performed well. Gross margin dropped by 40 basis points due to logistics and stock inefficacies largely in France. The group revealed a [...]
Kingfisher hurt by French unit again September 19, 2018 Kingfish posted a 14.7% fall in first-half pre-tax profit to £375 million, while analysts were anticipating £386 million. The French business was the underperformer of the group, while the British and Polish operations performed well. Gross margin dropped by 40 basis points due to logistics and stock inefficacies largely in France. The group revealed a [...]
Portland Stone became the building block of London, but does it have a place in modern British architecture? January 7, 2019 There are certain things you stop noticing after a few years in London. The first thing is how busy it is; crowds become the norm. The abominable air quality only becomes apparent when you leave. Another thing is Portland Stone. Chances are, you don’t even know you’re looking at it, but there aren’t many streets [...]
CBI prepares to call on MPs to avoid no-deal Brexit ‘wrecking ball’ November 19, 2018 The CBI will call upon MPs today to back the Prime Minister’s draft withdrawal agreement and avoid hitting the British economy with the “wrecking ball” of a no-deal Brexit. Speaking at the CBI’s annual conference in front of more than 1,500 business leaders, CBI president John Allan is expected to ask politicians to consider the [...]
UK house price growth recovers from five-year low in November, Nationwide figures show November 30, 2018 UK house prices grew by an average of 1.9 per cent in November, up 0.3 per cent month on month to recover from a five-year low in October, Nationwide announced this morning. The figure is expected to improve if economic and political uncertainty surrounding Brexit lifts over the coming months and employment continues to rise, the [...]
UK services sector growth slowed in September October 3, 2018 Business activity slowed slightly in September, according to a closely followed measure of services sector activity. The UK services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) hit 53.9 points in September, compared to 54.3 in August, according to figures released today from data firm IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, staying well above the 50-point [...]
Ollie Phillips: Johnny Sexton’s outstanding Ireland and dominant Saracens lead my 2018 roll of honour December 20, 2018 There is only one place to start a look back at rugby in 2018 and that’s with its best side. Ireland have been the undoubted stars of the last 12 months. They may not have overtaken New Zealand as No1 in the world rankings, but their first ever home win over the All Blacks last [...]
Mitie shares fall as outsourcer predicts lower profits in “highly competitive” industry September 26, 2018 Shares in outsourcing provider Mitie dropped this morning after the company reported slightly lower profits and warned the industry was “highly competitive”. Mitie said profits would be flat to slightly down on the previous year as it continued to invest in its technology-based services, with revenue growth up 2-3 per cent for the first [...]
Commute, coffee, after-work drinks: Londoners spend the most money on work-related expenses September 10, 2018 How much did you spend on your lunch today? What about after-work drinks? And getting home? If you’re making daily trips to a trendy new sandwich bar every lunchtime, it might be time to rethink your spending: according to new data, Londoners have the priciest work-related outgoings in the UK. While the average Brit spends [...]