Profit surge for Zara owner Inditex despite shoppers’ fears of inflation December 14, 2022 Zara owner Inditex has seen sales and profit boosted, against a backdrop of a torrid consumer environment for fashion firms. The Spanish fashion giant posted a 24 per cent jump in net profit in the first nine months of its financial year, despite what CEO Óscar García Maceiras described as a “challenging context.” Sales online [...]
CBI: Firms need help to make it through summer May 1, 2022 Firms might need further support before the autumn Budget to help tackle rising costs, according to a business group. The CBI highlighted the near-term challenges that companies are facing, especially energy intensive firms. A survey by the group found that growth in private sector activity including consumer services and distribution sales remained “steady” in the [...]
India cricket star and IPL team captain Pant to have surgery in Mumbai January 4, 2023 India cricket’s wicketkeeper and IPL team Delhi Capitals’s captain Rishabh Pant is set to have surgery in Mumbai following his involvement in a car crash last week. The 25-year-old has been a star on the Indian cricket scene in all formats for a number of years and could miss the Test series against Australia, which [...]
Blackstone close to £700m deal for commercial landlord Industrials REIT April 3, 2023 US private equity giant Blackstone is close to a £700m take-private deal with London-listed landlord Industrials REIT as it ramps up its bargain-hunt on UK property firms.
Bellway ‘taking steps to reduce headcount’ as rate hikes continue mortgage slowdown August 9, 2023 British housebuilder Bellway’s underlying operating margin will contract from 18.5 per cent to 16 per cent as mortgage rates continue to slow down demand in the sector. The home construction company completed the build of 10,945 homes in the year ended 31 July falling from 11,198 in the same period last year. As the central [...]
Regulators demand LDI strategy ‘buffers’ to shore up funds following mini budget market meltdown April 24, 2023 Regulators are pressing managers of debt-fuelled liability driven investment (LDI) strategies to boost their access to quick cash and review the make up of their clients after the market was plunged into crisis by Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget last year.
Alcohol duty rise is ‘biggest shake up’ in decades as booze to be taxed by strength August 1, 2023 The price of beer and wine will increase today as part of plans previously set out in the Spring Budget. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the measures as part of the budget back in March, which saw an end to the blanket alcohol duty freeze which was put in place via the Autumn Budget 2020 during [...]
UK to buy out China General Nuclear’s share of Sizewell C nuclear plant November 29, 2022 The UK government will pay £100m to a Chinese state-owned firm to buy out their share in the Sizewell C nuclear plant. The taxpayer buyout of China General Nuclear’s (CGN) 20 per cent share will mean the UK government and French state-owned EDF will take a 50-50 equity split for the Suffolk nuclear plant. It will [...]
Restaurants ‘entering winter in freefall’ as insolvencies leap by almost half November 8, 2022 There has been a tsunami of restaurants entering liquidation in the quarter to September, causing hospitality leaders to renew cries for government support this winter. According to recent numbers from the Insolvency Service, the number of food venues facing insolvency sky-rocketed 46 per cent in the most recent quarter. Some 158 businesses went into liquidation [...]
Rail strikes on start and end date of Tory conference not political – Aslef September 30, 2023 Train drivers are striking on the start and end dates of the Conservative Party conference for industrial, not political, reasons, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan has said.