Hostelworld camps down for flat growth but hints at future bookings boost November 29, 2018 Hostelworld today said its projected earnings for the full year are in line with expectations as it wraps up a strategic review to boost bookings in the coming years. The Dublin-based company said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation are on track to meet the board’s expectations, but that like-for-like bookings are likely to [...]
Bottoms up: Greene King heralds heatwave as profits and revenue grow in World Cup year November 29, 2018 Shares in pub owner Greene King ticked up in early morning trading as investors welcomed growing like-for-like sales in its pubs across the UK after a sweltering summer saw drink sales swell. The figures Statutory profit before tax grew 3.2 per cent to £127.7m in the pub chain’s half-year results, compared to the same six [...]
Gambling Commission hits online casino operators with nearly £13m in fines November 29, 2018 Regulator the Gambling Commission has levied fines worth nearly £13m on two online gaming operators, it said today. Two companies were fined for failing to put in place effective safeguards to prevent money laundering and keep consumers safe. Daub Alderney was ordered to pay £7.1m while Casumo was ordered to pay £5.85m. A third company, Videoslots, [...]
Unilever chief executive set to retire at the end of the year after shareholder revolt against plans to scrap dual-listed structure November 29, 2018 Unilever’s chief executive is set to step down at the end of the year, the company revealed today. Paul Polman will retire by the end of 2018, the maker of Dove soap and Marmite said, staying on to help with the transition as the company’s president of beauty and personal care, Alan Jope, takes up the [...]
John Whittaker-led consortium abandons £2.9bn offer for Intu, sending shares crashing November 29, 2018 Intu’s share price nosedived by 36 per cent this morning after a consortium ditched plans to pay £2.9bn for the shopping centre empire, blaming market uncertainty. Intu had repeatedly extended the deadline for the offer from a consortium led by billionaire shareholder John Whittaker, but today the consortium said it would abandon the takeover attempt. “Given the [...]
Tiffany sales disappoint Wall Street as Chinese shoppers curb their luxury spending November 28, 2018 A slump in demand from wealthy Chinese tourists has taken the sparkle off of Tiffany’s latest sales report this afternoon, with weaker-than-expected results sending shares down during pre-trading on Wall Street. The luxury jewellery maker missed its estimates today after reporting a three per cent rise in same-store sales, falling below Refinitiv projections of a [...]
Ikea’s change of focus hurts group profits as it braces for redundancies November 28, 2018 Ikea group profits dropped by a quarter in its latest financial year, driven down by billions of pounds invested into adapting to people's changing shopping habits. The furniture giant’s parent company, Ingka Group, reported the €780m (£688.7m) year-on-year drop in its full-year results this morning, blaming spending on transforming its business model to an approach focused heavily on [...]
Vita Mojo shakes things up with a £10m series A fundraise, backed by Investec November 28, 2018 Healthy food-focused restaurant chain Vita Mojo has raised £10m in a series A fundraising round led by Investec Bank, as it heads for expansion. The firm said it is now "coming out of stealth mode" to help other businesses with its technology, having already signed up a few major customers such as Virgin Active, Chilango and Wokit. [...]
Thomas Cook shares continue to fall, dragging FTSE firms down with it November 28, 2018 Package holiday provider Thomas Cook's share price has continued to fall for a second day, after having more than £175m wiped off its market value yesterday. The firm announced its third profit warning in five months, blaming the UK's long summer heatwave for a decline in Brits heading abroad. Shares in the FTSE 250 company declined by [...]
Restaurant Group shareholders approve £559m Wagamama takeover despite vote revolt November 28, 2018 Restaurant Group shareholders approved the planned the £559m takeover of Wagamama today, but 40 per cent of shareholder votes opposed the deal. The vote sent the Restaurant Group's share price down by almost 10 per cent. The Frankie and Benny's owner had been set for a shareholder showdown after a number of investors voiced their intentions to vote [...]