Who is ‘Drastic Dave’, the man sent to save Diageo? Business Diageo shareholders breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the FTSE 100 drinks giant unveiled the appointment of its new chief executive, Sir Dave Lewis. Shares rose 7.5 per cent in morning trading to 1,856 pence following the selection of the retail and consumer goods veteran, rebounding from their sharp drop last Thursday following [...]
Guinness owner Diageo shares rocket after appointment of ‘Drastic Dave’ Business Shares in FTSE 100 drinks giant Diageo have rocketed after the appointment of a new chief executive with an impressive turnaround record. News of the appointment of retail and consumer goods veteran Sir Dave Lewis saw shares in the struggling giant rise 6.8 per cent in early morning trading to 1,845p, rebounding from their sharp [...]
Roll-on the World Cup! Spain’s young guns sign deal with Old Spice Sport Business Not so long ago Old Spice was a punchline; a brand associated with a bygone era and reliant on an ageing – not to say, perishing – demographic. More recently it has tried to shake off this stuffy image, leaning into sports such as the NFL. This week made perhaps its most intriguing move yet: [...]
FTSE 100 Live: UK inflation holds at 3.8 per cent, Barclays share buyback October 22, 2025 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. The UK’s top banks are gearing up for a third-quarter reporting season where all eyes will be on the Labour government’s second Autumn Budget. Speculation of a bank tax hike has dominated chatter around the sector in recent months and elevated fears across the City. It also [...]
Unilever: US government shutdown delays ice cream float October 21, 2025 Consumer goods giant Unilever has paused the launch of its ice-cream arm on New York’s stock exchange due to delays at the bourse’s security commission. The US government shut down at the start of October when Democrats and Republicans failed to come to an agreement on spending, with no end in sight. Unilever said the [...]
Fenchurch Street’s new skyscraper looks great. Will it ever get built? October 2, 2025 The City of London Corporation has approved plans for another skyscraper in the Square Mile. Having had a look at the application, the building looks gorgeous and will surely make a great addition to the City’s skyline. I particularly like how the facade is interspersed with patches of greenery. But will it ever get built? [...]
Rolls-Royce: FTSE 100 giant now worth £100bn September 29, 2025 FTSE 100 giant Rolls-Royce is now worth more than £100bn after its share price continued its remarkable rise. The Derby-headquartered group passed the milestone for the first time in its 121-year history on Friday before slipping back. Now, shares in Rolls-Royce have risen again and surpassed 1,191p, giving the company a valuation of more than [...]
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder quits after being ‘silenced’ by Unilever September 17, 2025 Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield has quit the company on social activism grounds as he claims the ice cream brand has been ‘silenced’ by its parent firm. In a statement co-founder Ben Cohen shared on X, Greenfield said he was “profoundly disappointed” to “come to the conclusion that [the brand’s] independence, the very basis [...]
From law to tech: Who’s championing equal parental leave in the UK? September 16, 2025 New research has revealed the inaugural list of 165 UK employers that offer equal parental leave, including more than 20 professional services firms. The full findings, which will be formally launched at the UK’s first Working Dads’ Summit, revealed that 72 of the 165 companies offer dads up to six months of fully paid paternity [...]
Ben & Jerry’s founders call for release from parent company on social justice grounds September 9, 2025 The co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s have written to the board of The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) and Magnum’s potential investors, requesting that the brand be released from the conglomerate. “Ben & Jerry’s was founded on a simple but radical premise: that our business could thrive and make outstanding products whilst standing up for progressive [...]