McColl’s shares plunge on profit warning December 3, 2018 Convenience store chain McColl’s today cut its profit forecast for the year, sending its shares tumbling more than 20 per cent. McColl’s cut its adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) for the 2018 financial year to £35m, down from a previous estimate of £44m. The business blamed the profit cut on disruption [...]
Southend Airport-owner Stobart Group cuts its fourth-quarter dividend December 3, 2018 Stobart Group has today said it plans to cut its fourth-quarter dividend to focus on future investments. The Southend Airport-owner said it had examined the dividend as part of an ongoing capital review and had decided to cut it to 1.5p per share. This means that total dividend paid in the financial year will be 15p [...]
Private equity giant Bain Capital drops out of race to buy FTSE 250 plastic-maker RPC December 3, 2018 US private equity giant Bain Capital has dropped out of the race to buy FTSE 250-listed plastic maker RPC. RPC said this morning that the pair had “mutually agreed to terminate discussions”. Discussions with Apollo Global Management “remain ongoing”, RPC said this morning. RPC's share price fell 4.1 per cent to 687p this morning. According to takeover [...]
Trump says China has agreed to cut tariffs on US cars as trade thaw continues December 3, 2018 US President Donald Trump said early this morning that China has agreed to lift its tariffs on US cars. Trump tweeted: https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1069441198157455360 Trump said current Chinese tariffs on US cars were 40 per cent, but he did not say how much he expected them to fall. There has been no confirmation from China at this [...]
Qatar quits international oil cartel Opec amid ongoing regional tensions December 3, 2018 Qatar will leave the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) next month, its energy minister said today. “Qatar has decided to withdraw its membership from Opec effective January 2019 and this decision was communicated to Opec this morning,” Saad al-Kaabi, the country’s energy minister said at a press conference. The decision came after Qatar, [...]
The founder of DNAFit on how understanding our genetic makeup can help us get healthy December 3, 2018 We can see physical traces of our genetics in our parents, but for the most part, our DNA is a mystery that many of us can never truly comprehend. But what if we could understand some of the unique information captured in our DNA, so that we could use it like a map, helping us [...]
Southern Water criticised over ‘unfair’ pensions scheme by regulator December 3, 2018 The Pensions Regulator has rapped Southern Water over claims it treated its pension scheme unfairly, it was revealed. TPR said it was taking action after finding Southern’s pensions pot was subject to “undue risk” despite the company’s strong finances. The watchdog was concerned over an “imbalance between the funds contributed to the Southern Water pension [...]
Asian investors put stamp on London skyline with massive trophy deals December 3, 2018 LONDON’S most valuable buildings are being dominated by Asian investors, who have grabbed half of all £1bn-plus property deals over the last five years, it has been revealed. Of the ten London properties which sold for more than £1bn since 2013, investors from Hong Kong snapped up three, including the Walkie Talkie and UBS’s Liverpool [...]
Floom set to blossom across the US as it raises £2m for international growth and new software services December 3, 2018 Online flower delivery site Floom has raised £2m as it looks to expand across the US over the coming year. The business, which was founded in 2016 by Lana Elie, connects independent flower shops with a system that allows them to sell bouquets online. Likened to Just Eat, Floom has set up to offer same-day [...]
Aim companies have markedly improved corporate governance reporting, study finds December 3, 2018 Companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) have significantly upped their corporate governance standards since a September 2018 rule change, an annual review has revealed. The market, which lists smaller companies and has less onerous regulations, was reviewed by accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young and lobbying group Quoted Companies Alliance. Their findings showed improvements in transparency [...]