Virgin Media O2 takes on BT as £31bn merged entity rolls out first joint product – CityAM : CityAM October 18, 2021 Customers of both Virgin Media and O2 can expect their pay monthly mobile data allowance to be doubled, while broadband speeds will be upgraded to the next available tier, free of charge, the company said this morning. It is Virgin Media O2’s first joint product since the two company’s £31bn merger earlier this year to [...]
Aristocrat to buy Playtech in gaming industry cash acquisition – CityAM : CityAM October 18, 2021 Gaming technology company Aristocrat is acquiring the entire issued and issued ordinary share capital of gambling platform Playtech for 680p in cash per share. The acquisition, made through a subsidiary of Aristocrat – Bidco – has an approximate value of £2.1bn on a fully diluted basis, with £2.7bn value on an enterprise value basis. “This [...]
Back to 2007: UK house prices rise for every region and buyer type October 18, 2021 It’s a full house for the UK home buying market, with property prices rising last month in every region of the UK, London included, and for buyer types ranging from first-timers to those at the wealthiest rungs of the property ladder. In London, the average property price hit £650,683, up another 1.9 per cent on [...]
Former BA boss slams Heathrow’s ‘outrageous’ £100 price hikes October 17, 2021 Former British Airways boss Willie Walsh has criticised Heathrow’s plans to hike landing fees by 90 percent. The move could cost families travelling through Heathrow nearly £100 more for their flights. Walsh called the proposals ‘outrageous’. He said, “Heathrow must understand that gouging its customers is not the road to recovery, for itself, the airlines, [...]
Post-Brexit boost: Ford picks UK factory over Germany for £200m electric car investment October 17, 2021 Ford will boost Britain’s automative industry by making electric car components at its factory in Halewood. The car company selected the Merseyside site over one of its plants in Germany for a £200m investment into its e-Drive transmission systems. The systems control power from batteries used to run a vehicle’s wheels. The deal secures the [...]
Paper rail tickets to be ripped up across South East England October 17, 2021 Ministers are set to scrap paper rail tickets across South East England in favour of contactless payments. The contactless payments will be integrated into London’s Oyster card system. Transport officials reportedly want to expand pay-as-you-go smartcards in a pre-emptive strike against trade unions. The unions are opposing the potential closure of ticket offices across the [...]
Goodbye Alitalia: Italy’s new carrier to join airline alliance – CityAM : CityAM October 16, 2021 Alitalia’s successor ITA Airways will join the Skyteam alliance from next year, reported Reuters. ITA Airways’ chairman said yesterday that the new-born company aims to renegotiate the place within the Skyteam alliance that once belonged to Alitalia, partnering up with other airlines such as Lufthansa. “ITA has been created to be a strategic element in [...]
Obama to attend COP26 and meet activists – CityAM : CityAM October 16, 2021 Former US President Barack Obama has announced his attendance at the COP26 summit, which will take place between 31 October and 12 November in Glasgow. “Barack Obama will meet with activists and put the threat of climate change in [a] broader context – laying out the important progress made since the Paris Agreement took effect, [...]
Shapps echoes Sunak saying Christmas gifts will be available – CityAM : CityAM October 16, 2021 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has echoed Chancellor Rishi Sunak and said that Christmas gifts will be available despite the backlogs witnessed at UK ports. “People will be able to get things for Christmas,” he told Sky News. “When I talk to the ports they said it is a busy picture, but if you compared us [...]
PM pays tribute to Sir David Amess MP killed in fatal stabbing October 15, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to Sir David Amess MP, who was killed today in a fatal stabbing. In a statement, he said “all our hearts are filled with shock and sadness” at the news. The Prime Minister praised Amess’ public service record. He highlighted his efforts to end animal cruelty, reduce fuel [...]