Dixons Carphone’s share price falls nearly 20 per cent on back of profit warning May 29, 2018 Dixons Carphone’s share price fell nearly 20 per cent this morning as the electronics giant warned profit will be 21 per cent lower this year than last year. In a trading update the retailer said pre-tax profits for 2017-18 would be £382m, down from £501m last year. The following year’s profit is expected to be [...]
Standard Life Aberdeen’s share price falls as firm reveals plans to return £1.75bn to shareholders May 29, 2018 Standard Life Aberdeen’s share price fell this morning after the firm revealed plans to return £1.75bn to its shareholders following the sale of its UK and European insurance business to Phoenix Group. The finance giant this morning announced plans to gift £1bn to shareholders via a B share scheme, in which new B shares will [...]
Smell the coffee: Pret A Manger sold after 10 years with Bridgepoint May 29, 2018 Sandwich chain Pret A Manger has been sold by its private equity owners for an undisclosed sum, with reports suggesting it could be as much as £1.5bn JAB Holdings has snapped up the ubiquitous cafe from its owners Bridgepoint, who have been looking to offload it for some months. JAB is acquiring its stake in [...]
Cloud computing software firm Maestrano announces £12m float on London Stock Exchange May 29, 2018 Open cloud business integration platform Maestrano is to announce its intention to float on the Alternative Investment Market (Aim) of the London Stock Exchange today, with its market capitalisation at the point of admission coming in at £12m. Grant Thompson LLP has been appointed as a nominated adviser, with Arden Partners as sole broker to [...]
The internet trolls ruined social media, but here’s how brands and charities can reclaim it May 29, 2018 Advertising used to be simple. Brands placed ads in print and on billboards, or maybe they’d buy airtime to run television commercials. The internet made everything more complicated. Brands had to create new types of advertising, and the popularity of social media meant many firms felt the need to be involved and create profiles in [...]
DEBATE: With Amazon’s Alexa recording private conversations, are we too complacent about AI in our lives? May 29, 2018 With Amazon’s Alexa recording private conversations, are we too complacent about AI in our lives? Joe Baguley, vice president and chief technology officer (EMEA) at VMware, says YES. As more complex and automated technology enters our daily lives, we must bear some responsibility as consumers to ensure that we are educated on what that technology [...]
Manufacturers’ association says max fac customs proposal is a ‘non-starter’ to the UK’s Brexit problems May 29, 2018 The government should not waste any more time or money exploring the so-called “maximum facilitation” option for future UK and EU customs, the manufacturers’ association has said. The max fac proposal – which would use technology to allow so-called “trusted traders” to cross the Northern Ireland and other EU borders freely after Brexit – has [...]
Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich becomes Israeli citizen May 28, 2018 Russian billionaire and Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich has become an Israeli citizen and is planning to move to Tel Aviv where he’s bought a property, Israeli media has reported. Abramovich had reportedly been facing difficulties renewing his UK visa amid deteriorating relations between Russia and Britain. The government has declined to comment on the [...]
Sam Torrance: Rory McIlroy faded but magnificent Francesco Molinari was a deserving BMW PGA Championship winner May 28, 2018 Francesco Molinari played amazing golf to fully deserve his win, although it’s fair to say that the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last week was a tournament of two halves. Thursday and Friday was all about Rory McIlroy, who carded 67 and 65 to take a three-shot lead into the weekend and looked to have [...]
The UK should rekindle its ‘global spirit’ and come out of the customs union, says Boris Johnson May 28, 2018 Rekindling a “global spirit” is imperative if Britain wants to strike trade deals with “dynamic” countries across the globe, Boris Johnson has said. Writing in the Daily Telegraph after a visit to Chile, Argentina and Peru, Johnson said Britain had been guilty of neglecting South America ever since it joined the Common Market, when it [...]