BAT: Lucky Strike maker reaps rewards of vape shift with 1.5m new customers as profit nears £6bn July 26, 2023 Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco (BAT) has seen dramatic revenue growth in its ‘new categories’ division thanks to its acceleration of investment in ever-more popular cigarette alternatives. Its revenue from vaping and tobacco-free products hit £1.6bn, a 29 per cent increase from the first half of 2022, and BAT said it is making “good [...]
IMF: China must ‘reinvent itself’ to boost shaky economy March 24, 2024 China needs to take "decisive" steps to fix its struggling housing market and address its rising government debt, the IMF's chief has said.
Coronavirus: UK business confidence falls to lowest level since October March 31, 2020 Overall UK business confidence fell to its lowest level since October amid the coronavirus crisis, reflecting a drop in both trading prospects and economic optimism. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer shows a 17 percentage point drop to six per cent last month. Economic optimism dropped from 23 per cent, its highest level for 17 months, [...]
UK car sales sink 35 per cent in June despite post-lockdown restart July 6, 2020 UK new car sales plunged a third in June despite the easing of lockdown measures, new data showed today, after worse falls in April and May. New car registrations sank 34.9 per cent in June year on year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). But that marked what the body called [...]
UK economy’s rebound cools amid coronavirus worries September 23, 2020 The UK economy’s recovery from lockdown “lost some of its bounce” in September as government support schemes were reduced and consumers worried about coronavirus, according to survey data. The first estimate of the IHS Markit/Cips composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) slipped to 55.7 in September after jumping to 59.1 in August. The gauge measures how [...]
What will get London workers back into the office? March 14, 2024 Last Friday, passengers began to travel with off-peak Tube and train fares and will be allowed to every Friday until 31st May, 2024. The new scheme – announced by Transport for London (TfL) at the end of January – is a bid to increase the number of people travelling on London transport after it was [...]
New job: Ocado Retail appoints Hannah Gibson as CEO September 7, 2022 Ocado’s online grocery business has appointed Hannah Gibson as new CEO, as the company hopes to retain consumers amid the cost of living crunch. Gibson will take up her position on 20 September, stepping into the shoes of Melanie Smith, who left in July, Ocado Retail announced on Wednesday morning. She has spent more than [...]
UK competition watchdog raises concerns over £6bn Avast buyout by cybersecurity rival March 16, 2022 The UK’s competition watchdog has raised concerns over the £6bn buyout of Avast by fellow cybersecurity firm NortonLifeLock, after launching a probe into the deal in January. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced this morning that the deal, which was announced in August, between close competitors could harm competition in the market, as there [...]
FTSE 100 today: London markets braced for quiet start; Q1 earnings and UK monthly GDP in spotlight April 12, 2024 Asian stocks remain quiet, gold hits new highs, and oil prices climb. Amazon reaches a record peak, while Fed officials remain wary of rate cuts. Focus now turns to Q1 earnings, the UK monthly GDP for February, and the preliminary US Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for April.
Rishi Sunak warns second lockdown will have ‘significant’ impact on UK economy November 12, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned that England’s second nationwide lockdown will have a “significant impact on the economy”, as today’s record GDP figures laid the ground for a steep slump over the winter. “Obviously restrictions of this nature do have a significant impact on the economy. We’ve already seen that when we’ve done this over [...]