TfL did not see controversial Garden Bridge construction contract, boss reveals May 13, 2019 Transport for London (TfL) did not see the contract that the Garden Bridge Trust signed with a construction company for its proposed crossing over the Thames, which was later scrapped to the tune of £53.5m. The Garden Bridge project, which was backed by former mayor Boris Johnson and whose trustees included Joanna Lumley and former Labour minister [...]
Honda confirms 2021 Swindon factory closure ‘with a heavy heart’, cutting 3,500 jobs May 13, 2019 Japanese car manufacturer Honda has confirmed plans to close its Swindon factory in 2021, meaning 3,500 employees now face redundancy. The company said that after talks with the government and trade unions, it had decided there were “no viable alternatives” to closing the plant, which currently builds the Civic model. Read more: Honda to close [...]
British Gas owner Centrica’s shareholders say yes to chief executive’s £740,000 pay rise in ‘challenging’ conditions May 13, 2019 Shareholders expecting their dividends to be slashed this year clubbed through a 44 per cent pay rise for Centrica’s chief executive today despite company’s disappointing performance. Conn has overseen a two-thirds drop in share prices, to a 20-year low, since stepping into the role while the British Gas owner is haemorrhaging customers to other suppliers. [...]
Uber IPO: Shares slide again on second day of New York trading May 13, 2019 Shares in Uber dropped as much as 10 per cent this afternoon on its second day of trading following a disappointing $82.4bn (£63.2bn) stock market debut on Friday. The ride-hailing giant’s stock fell to $37.22, dropping more than 17 per cent below its initial public offering (IPO) price of $45 per share. Read more: Uber braced [...]
Chinese car sales fall for 10th straight month as US trade war picks up again May 13, 2019 Car sales in China, the biggest automotive market in the world, fell for the 10th consecutive month in April. Sales fell to 1.98m vehicles in April, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (Caam), marking a 14.6 per cent year on year decline. Read more: Car sales fall as removal of subsidies and Brexit [...]
Energy price cap hits Eon’s UK business hard as sales fall six per cent May 13, 2019 The government’s energy price cap put a dampener on Eon’s revenues in the first three months of the year, it revealed this morning. The figures UK sales decreased by six per cent to €153m (£132m), the company said, adding it had been hit by a triple-whammy including lower energy prices and reduced sales volumes. Read [...]
British Gas owner Centrica ‘may slash dividend’ after challenging start to the year May 13, 2019 Analysts warned that a dividend cut is on the horizon at British Gas owner Centrica after several external factors hit performance in the opening months of 2019. Centrica said that the government’s new energy price cap had dented its figures, including a one-off £70m impact in the first quarter. Read more: British Gas owner Centrica [...]
US investor fires opening shot in battle for control of transport company Firstgroup May 13, 2019 Transport company Firstgroup said today that activist investor Coast Capital has requisitioned a general meeting in an attempt to take control of its board of directors. US investment management firm Coast Capital, which owns 9.77 per cent of the company’s shares, wants to remove six of the eleven current directors and replace them with seven of [...]
Tube delays: Commuters suffer severe delays on key London Underground lines May 13, 2019 Commuters were set to face a painful journey to work this morning as a signal failure and police investigation led to disruption across multiple Tube lines. Read more: DEBATE: Should industrial action on the Tube be banned? Severe delays struck the Bakerloo Line after a signal failure at Warwick Avenue, with Transport for London (TfL) [...]
Ford gears up to announce up to 550 job losses for UK office workers amid turnaround efforts May 13, 2019 Ford is poised to announce as many as 550 job cuts in the coming weeks as part of a major restructuring programme, City A.M. has learnt. Read more: Ford casts further doubt over future of its UK operations post-Brexit The second-biggest car maker in the US is expected to make the reductions among office workers [...]