Babcock shares up 10 per cent after reinstating dividend July 20, 2023 British engineering company Babcock said it was confident on further growth this year and would reinstate its dividend, encouraged by the boost to defence spending since the war in Ukraine. The company, which designs and manufactures naval ships and weapons handling systems as well as supporting Britain’s nuclear submarines, said it expected to deliver average [...]
Pendragon reports strong first half results but rate hikes spark concern July 20, 2023 Pendragon said this morning it expects pretax profits to rise nine per cent for the first half of 2023, on the back of a strong performance from its motor division. In a trading update, the Nottingham-based motor dealership – which is behind brands including Evans Halshaw and Stratstone – said it expects underlying profit before [...]
UK could pay up to £500m in subsidies to support new Jaguar Land Rover battery plant July 20, 2023 The UK could pay as much as £500m in subsidies to Tata Group to support its £4bn investment in a new battery plant in Somerset that would supply a new range of electric Jaguar and Land Rover models. Tata Group – the Indian conglomerate who own Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) – announced yesterday that it [...]
Easyjet profit flies on soaring summer demand as pandemic recovery continues July 20, 2023 Easyjet has swung to a record pre-tax profit of £203 million, up from a £114 million loss the previous year, on the back of soaring travel demand and high ticket fares. For the three months leading up to June, the budget airline said revenues hit £2.3 billion, up 34 per cent year-on-year and giving a [...]
Lime bike use soaring in London with 12 million rides since 2019 July 20, 2023 Lime has seen soaring demand for its e-bikes in London with over 12m rides since 2019 and an average monthly increase of 10 per cent, it has been revealed. Londoners have travelled nearly 30m kilometres using Lime’s e-bikes since 2019, according to a new report from the transport consultancy Steer, commissioned by the e-bike and [...]
UK car insurance costs jump 40 per cent hitting all-time high July 19, 2023 The cost of car insurance has risen to an “all-time high” with motorists shelling out a record 40 per cent more for insurance premiums than last year, new data reveals. On average, UK drivers are now paying £776 to insure their cars, up from £222 one year ago, according to Confused.com and Willis Tower Watson’s [...]
Confirmed: Jaguar owner Tata to build £4bn battery factory in the UK July 19, 2023 Jaguar Land Rover’s owner has confirmed it will invest £4 billion to build a gigafactory in the UK, in a major boost for the British automotive sector and following months of speculation. Tata Group – the Indian conglomerate who have owned JLR since 2008 – said that its investment in the new 40GWh battery plant [...]
Network Rail tumbled to £1.1bn loss after ‘deeply bruising’ year of strikes July 18, 2023 Network Rail tumbled to a £1.1 billion loss for the past year as it was impacted by strike action and higher interest payments on its debts. The body, which owns and manages the infrastructure of most of the UK’s railway network, saw losses grow for the year to March 31 from a £324 million profit [...]
Five mayors preparing legal action against 1,000 rail ticket office closures – but Sadiq Khan not asked July 18, 2023 Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and four other mayors are preparing to take legal action against train operators in an effort to stop the closure of just under 1,000 ticket offices. Industry body Rail Delivery Group drew up plans to close the offices across the country and will move onto station concourses to assist passengers [...]
Renting office space near Monument is second most pricey in London Zone 1 – but what’s top? July 17, 2023 Renting office space near Monument station in the heart of the City means you’ll be forking out the second-highest rates in London’s zone one, new research has claimed. The figures from office rental agency Freeofficefinder shows top of the list is the Victoria area with average rents of approximately £900 a week for private office [...]