Mobico shares tumble despite revenue jump as inflation and wage costs bite July 27, 2023 Mobico Group, formerly known as National Express, saw its revenue rise 18.5 per cent to £1.57bn in the first half of the year, as it benefited from rising passenger demand across the majority of its international networks. However, this was not enough to offset rising wage costs associated with inflation and the removal of a [...]
ITV earnings plunge over 50 per cent amid ‘challenging’ ad market July 27, 2023 British broadcaster ITV reported a steep drop earnings today as it grapples with the downturn in the advertising market. The streaming giant said their group adjusted EBITA plummeted to 52 per cent to £152m in the six months ending June 30, down from £318m in the first half of 2022. ITV said this reflected “the challenging advertising [...]
Frasers: The boy done good! Ashley son-in-law guides firm to £5bn revenue July 27, 2023 Frasers Group revenues surged 15.8 per cent in the last financial year, totalling £5.56bn, as the retail powerhouse shows signs of performing well under the reign of new chief Michael Murray. Murray, who is the son in law of founder and business tycoon Mike Ashley, took over the business in 2022 after Ashley announced plans [...]
BT: Departing Jansen’s investment in fibre and Openreach pays off with revenue jump July 27, 2023 Telecoms giant BT has today reported a notch up in revenue after continued successful roll out of their Openreach full fibre broadband. The British mobile network operator’s revenue grew to nearly £5.2m in the first quarter this year, up four per cent from the same period in 2022. This was mainly driven by revenue from [...]
Mark Kleinman: Natwest’s future, Ovo Energy and Hargreaves Lansdown’s search for a successor July 27, 2023 Mark Kleinman is City editor at Sky News What next for Natwest? Somebody with a tighter grip at the top, and that’s just the start Banking with the human touch: that’s how Coutts, the high net worth bank owned by Natwest Group, likes to position itself. Like so many corporate slogans, however, it often bears [...]
British car production rebounds thanks to record electric vehicle boost July 27, 2023 UK car production jumped 11.7 per cent in the first six months of the year, industry figures show, marking a major rebound from the pandemic-induced lows of 2022. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), 450,168 units were made in the six months from January, with June the fifth consecutive month of [...]
IQE meets £52m revenue targets amid challenging semiconductor market July 26, 2023 Global semiconductor supplier IQE has performed in line with expectations during the first half of the year. The British manufacturer will hit a revenue of “at least” £52m in line with market guidance and management expectations, IQE said today in an unaudited pre-close trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2023. The AIM-listed [...]
Sinead O’Connor dead: Irish legend dies after long mental health battle July 26, 2023 The Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died after a long battle with her mental health. O’Connor was 56 and will be remembered most fondly for her 1990 cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. She retired from the music industry in 2021, having released 10 studio albums, with one more to come posthumously, called No [...]
Google and Microsoft AI showdown continues July 26, 2023 After Microsoft and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, reported better-than-expected results yesterday, analysts say the race to dominate the burgeoning AI field is moving quickly. Alphabet’s robust performance saw a 3.3 per cent surge in ad revenue, as search revenue hit $42.63bn (£32.98bn), causing shares to climb six per cent on Wednesday. Despite the market applause, [...]
Investors prepare to see if British Airways owner will soar this summer July 26, 2023 British Airways owner IAG is set to report its half year results this Friday, amid what is widely touted as the most important summer for airlines in years. Aviation has experienced an extraordinary boom in demand over the last six months as it enters the first truly restriction free, high volume period since before the [...]