The vaccine challenge facing emerging markets January 18, 2021 News that effective vaccines against Covid-19 are slowly being rolled out in some parts of the world has brought the end of the corona crisis into view and buoyed investor sentiment. But we are not yet out of the woods, particularly in emerging markets (EM) where some countries are suffering renewed outbreaks of the virus. [...]
Unilever to end Anglo-Dutch structure to prioritise London base after failed Amsterdam move June 11, 2020 Unilever today announced plans to end its joint Anglo-Dutch structure to unify under its UK listing, after failing to persuade British investors to approve a shift to its Amsterdam HQ in 2018. The consumer goods giant would swap Dutch shares for its London-listed Unilever PLC stock, with Unilever PLC becoming the single parent company it [...]
Bank of England urged to hold interest rates January 26, 2020 The Bank of England has been urged to keep interest rates on hold as some City economists are painting a brighter picture for the UK economy thanks to increasing clarity on Brexit and a strong labour market. The report from the EY Item Club comes after official statistics on the UK’s labour market and other [...]
UK grocery sales surge at record level after two months of lockdown May 27, 2020 UK grocery sales rose 14.3 per cent during the 12 weeks to 17 May, the fastest rate since comparable records began in 1994, as Britons adapted to the national lockdown, data from market researcher Kantar showed today. The UK has been in lockdown since 23 March though restrictions are being gradually eased. Of Britain’s big [...]
What can we learn from the Black Death? Be prepared, trust entrepreneurs, and have faith June 3, 2020 Can we learn from history? An excellent book by Ben Gummer on the Black Death in fourteenth century Britain, The Scourging Angel, shows that we can. Published 10 years ago, the book offers many intriguing parallels with the Covid-19 crisis. Of course, the Black Death was almost incomprehensibly more lethal. Around 50 per cent of [...]
Fever Tree sales remain strong as drinkers stockpiled for lockdown April 22, 2020 Fever Tree has enjoyed strong sales in its key markets as consumers increase the frequency and size of orders during the coronavirus lockdown. The tonic retailer said its “off-trade channel” which accounts for 55 per cent of group sales was characterised by a period of strong sales in the initial weeks of the crisis. As [...]
Serco shares leap as it reinstates full year guidance June 17, 2020 Serco shares shot up this morning as it announced it would reinstate guidance for the year following strong performance in the first half of the year. Shares in the public services provider jumped 17.89 per cent this morning after it reported a 23 per cent increase in revenue. Underlying trading profit was around 50 per [...]
SMMT: UK car output falls for third year running January 30, 2020 British car production is down for the third consecutive year as weakened consumer and business confidence put the brakes on the industry. Manufacturing fell 14.2 per cent last year to 1.3m units, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with a 6.7 per cent fall in December. The trade association said output [...]
McColl’s finance chief departs for Holland & Barrett May 6, 2020 The chief financial officer of McColl’s Retail Group will step down to join health food retailer Holland & Barrett, the convenience store chain announced this morning. McColl’s said Robbie Bell had resigned to take up the finance chief role at Holland & Barrett. The company has launched a search for a successor, saying Bell will [...]
UK mortgage approvals hit highest in four years March 2, 2020 UK banks approved the highest number of mortgages for four years in January, official statistics have shown, in a sign the housing market is recovering after a rocky 2019. Mortgage approvals for house purchase rose to 70,900 in January, up 4.4 per cent from December’s 67,930 figure, the Bank of England said today. The jump [...]