World leaders react to Joe Biden entering the White House January 21, 2021 The US is waking up to a new leader, and government vision, as Joe Biden became the country’s 46th president yesterday. The spotlight is now on the future of the country and its international relations rather than the twists and turns that made this presidential race so historic. Here is how world leaders reacted to [...]
Mitie profit slips a third ahead of Interserve merger November 19, 2020 Outsourcer Mitie said that profit had fallen over a third in the first half of the year due to a loss of revenue from high margin contracts impacted by coronavirus. Profit at the London-listed firm slipped 35 per cent from £33m to £21.5m, with revenue also declining 9.8 per cent to £972m. As a result, [...]
Blur – The Narcissist: A deep-dive into the genesis of (another) hit May 30, 2023 There is a moment in the Beatles’ catalogue of which I’m particularly fond. It comes on the album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band when Paul McCartney, ever the panting optimist, sings: “It’s getting better all the time.” Lennon improvises back: “It couldn’t get much worse.” The essentially dual spirit of the Beatles is encapsulated in that [...]
Deliveroo taps JP Morgan as it steps up London float preparations November 3, 2020 Deliveroo is said to have appointed bankers at JP Morgan as it steps up preparations for an initial public offering in London next year. The food delivery app has added the Wall Street bank to its line-up of advisers alongside Goldman Sachs, Sky News reported. Deliveroo, which was founded in 2013 by Will Shu, is [...]
Biden dashes hopes of quick post-Brexit trade deal with UK during Johnson visit September 22, 2021 US President Joe Biden last night downplayed prospects of brokering a post-Brexit trade deal with Boris Johnson, as ministers resorted to considering downgrading their efforts to join an existing pact. Meeting the Prime Minister in the White House, the US President issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in [...]
Kingfisher joins supermarkets in returning business rates relief December 7, 2020 DIY retailer Kingfisher has joined a list of retailers announcing plans to repay millions in business rates relief it received at the start of the pandemic. The FTSE 100 firm has announced it will pay back £130m in tax relief, pointing to strong sales since it reopened its UK stores in April amid high demand [...]
UK MPs join push to support Australian wine in face of China tariffs December 1, 2020 British MPs have backed a call to support Australian wine, after China slapped 212 per cent tariffs on imports of the product. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (Ipac), which involves MPs from across the world, is calling for people to buy and drink Australian wine this month. America’s National Security Centre has also shown solidarity [...]
UK supermarket chiefs call for online sales tax on firms like Amazon February 8, 2021 Some of the UK’s largest retailers, including Tesco and Asda, have called for Rishi Sunak to “rebalance the tax base” between online and bricks and mortar retail in an apparent push for a new digital sales levy on firms like Amazon. In a letter to Sunak, 18 chief executives and union bosses said “online retailers [...]
Military vet Barry John to host Brunswick Art Gallery show December 2, 2020 A new exhibition will open this weekend at the Brunswick Art Gallery showcasing the work of military veteran Barry John MBE, who takes elements of the places he visited during his service and combines them to form vivid, graffiti-style artworks. John, who served in the military for 24 years, told City A.M. he wanted to [...]
Morrisons hikes dividend on confident outlook despite £86m blow to profits March 13, 2019 Morrisons has welcomed last year's jump in like-for-like sales with a special dividend, it revealed today, though profits were hit by £86m in costs as the supermarket closed a pension scheme and paid off loans. Read more: Morrisons and Tesco flag concerns over Sainsbury's-Asda merger The figures Profit before tax fell 15.8 per cent year on year [...]