UK car production slides in July August 30, 2018 The number of cars made in the UK tumbled 11 per cent last month, as incoming emissions standards and seasonal adjustments hit production. A total of 121,051 cars were produced in July, falling from 135,954 cars in the same month last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Year-on-year domestic demand [...]
Hays delivers investors a summer surprise after dividend hike August 30, 2018 UK recruitment giant Hays put a smile on investors’ faces at the opening bell this morning, after hiking its full-year dividend by 18 per cent. Annual profits leapt to £243m in the first half of 2018, rising 15 per cent from the same period in the previous year. The FTSE 250 firm revealed a special dividend [...]
Hunting’s share price shoots up as oil giant leaps from loss to profit August 30, 2018 British-based oil and gas supplier Hunting’s shares jumped more than 10 per cent in early morning trading as the firm moved into the black for the first half of the year. The FTSE 250 firm reported profit from operations of $38.9m (£29.8m) in the first six months of 2018, compared with a loss of $23.9m [...]
Apache slammed for using trainees to cover offshore shifts in the North Sea August 29, 2018 Oil firm Apache has been slammed by the UK's health and safety watchdog for using trainees and apprentices to cover shifts on an offshore North Sea platform. According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Apache has been "significantly failing" to meet standards on its Beryl Bravo platform north-east of Aberdeen. Read more: Petrofac wins major [...]
Irish hotel group Dalata swoops in for £91m Aldgate site August 29, 2018 Ireland’s largest hotel operator has agreed a £91m deal for a site under development on the edge of the Square Mile. In the latest sign of London’s burgeoning hotel market, the aim-listed Dalata Hotel Group has snapped up the Clayton Hotel in Aldgate, which is situated near the new Crossrail station at Whitechapel. The deal for [...]
Changing with the times: Mayfair’s historic owner is setting its sights on property development outside of London August 29, 2018 The Grosvenor Estate, one of the country’s oldest and largest landlords known for its assets at the more expensive end of the monopoly board, is ramping up its expansion plans for property development outside of London. As part of a new portfolio strategy to build 30,000 homes outside of its traditional Mayfair and Belgravia stomping [...]
London house prices face further falls as experts warn of no-deal Brexit August 29, 2018 London house prices could fall a further 1.6 per cent this year, according to a new Reuters poll that signals more trouble to come for the capital’s sluggish housing market. In a survey of 30 housing market specialists, house prices in London are projected to tumble 1.6 per cent by the end of 2018 and a [...]
Demand for oilfield services fuels profits as Petrofac unveils major contract August 29, 2018 Oil and gas heavyweight Petrofac’s share price edged up this morning as the firm unveiled a new $600m (£466m) engineering contract alongside a strong half-year profits report. Profits in the first six months of 2018 hit $190m, surging 20 per cent from the same period last year in the wake of rising demand for oilfield services. [...]
Online revenues dive as Johnston Press falls victim to Google and Facebook changes August 29, 2018 The share price in major UK newspaper group Johnston Press plummeted as much as 21 per cent today as the firm reported a fall in half-year revenue amid privacy changes to social media giants such as Google and Facebook. Total revenues dropped to £93m in the first six months of 2018, falling 10 per cent compared [...]