Turkish courts will decide the fate of American pastor at centre of US spat, Erdogan says September 26, 2018 President Tayyip Erdogan has said the courts, not politicians, will decide the fate of an American evangelical pastor at the centre of a diplomatic spat between the US and Turkey. Andrew Brunson, detained on terrorism charges in Turkey, could be jailed for up to 35 years if found guilty. Brunson's detention and subsequent house [...]
Model maker Hornby on track to meet targets despite drop in sales September 26, 2018 Model train maker Hornby told investors its trading outlook was staying on track this morning, despite a drop in sales over the last six months. Ahead of its annual meeting later on today, the company gave a trading update – saying its decision to slow discounting has led to lower sales. However, it said not slashing [...]
Woo the EU? Theresa May should take tips from the dating game September 26, 2018 Winning votes in an election is a lot like dating. I was explaining the principles of campaigning during a Westminster Foundation seminar in Ghana when one of the young candidates hit on this perfect analogy for electoral success. When you start dating someone, you are keen to establish common interests. “You like Love Island? [...]
Smiles all round as Boohoo’s rising revenue trumps City forecasts September 26, 2018 Online fashion retailer Boohoo bumped up its forecast for full-year sales growth this morning in the wake of better-than-expected revenues during the first half of 2018. The PrettyLittleThing.com owner’s revenue hit £395m in the first six months of the year, marking a sharp 50 per cent rise compared with the same period in 2017. [...]
AA profits fall into a pothole as roadside repair firm blames Beast from the East September 26, 2018 Bad weather sent AA profits crashing in the first half of 2018, the roadside recovery firm said today, sending its share price down over four per cent. The figures Pre-tax profits fell 64 per cent year on year to £28m, with revenue growing just two per cent to £480m, fuelled by the AA’s roadside [...]
No-deal Brexit border delays could prompt wave of bankruptcies says poll September 26, 2018 Delays of even half an hour at the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit could prompt a wave of bankruptcies for firms relying on cross-border supply chains, a poll to be published today will show. As many as one in 10 British supply chain managers say their businesses could go bankrupt if [...]
Securing US trade deal top priority for British voters September 26, 2018 Securing a trade deal with the US is the top priority for British voters across the political divide, a new poll published today will show. Some 63 per cent of Britons say the US should be first on the list of trade negotiations for the government, the survey of more than 3,000 people by [...]
Aldi and Lidl continue to attract customers – so what impact will Tesco’s budget chain Jack’s have? September 26, 2018 Recently Tesco unveiled its first Jack’s discount store. With a strong emphasis on Britishness and home-grown products, the brand is seen as a challenger to the German supermarkets, Aldi and Lidl. I have often talked in this column about the growth of both Aldi and Lidl, and YouGov BrandIndex data points to the continued improvements [...]
Unilever hits back over City fury at Dutch move September 25, 2018 Unilever has stepped up its charm offensive on City investors as it tries to combat a brewing shareholder revolt over plans to ditch its London headquarters. The consumer goods giant has organised meetings with the most vocal opponents of the plans in an attempt to assuage their fears, although its attempts to change minds have [...]
Banco Santander appoints UBS’ Orcel as new chief executive September 25, 2018 Spain's largest bank today announced UBS' investment banking head Andrea Orcel would takeover as its chief executive from Jose Antonio Alvarez in early 2019. Alvarez will move to become the vice-chairman of Banco Santander, and the executive chairman of its Spanish division. Santander chairman Ana Botin said Orcel had been working with the bank [...]