Premier Inn owner Whitbread raises dividend despite slower growth October 16, 2024 Premier Inn and Beefeater owner Whitbread has raised its interim dividend and announced a share buyback despite flat revenue. The hotel and restaurant chain told markets this morning that revenue was unchanged year on year in the six months ended 29 August at £1.57bn. It has raised its interim dividend seven per cent to 36.4p [...]
Quilter inflows shoot up as platform business booms October 16, 2024 Investors poured millions into Quilter during the last quarter, with the wealth manager bringing in £1.4bn of new business over the last three months. All arms of the business saw elevated levels of cash being deposited into them by investors, pushing group assets under management and administration to a total of £116.2bn. In a trading [...]
Inflation falls below two per cent for first time since April 2021 October 16, 2024 September's inflation figures come a day after official data showed a further easing in wage growth, which bolstered bets that the Bank would cut interest rates in November.
CBI says it has financial backing for return of flagship summit October 16, 2024 The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has insisted it will have financial backing for its annual flagship summit next month as it returns for the first time since the group nearly collapsed last year.
I saw inside an AI-powered Amazon warehouse – here’s what I thought October 16, 2024 Last week, I got a behind-the-scenes look at one of Amazon’s new AI-powered warehouses, in what felt like a glimpse into the future. Inside the 3.5m square foot facility in Nashville, Tennessee, Amazon was finally unveiling the fruits of its AI strategy, revealing a fleet of new AI-powered robots and tools designed to increase efficiency [...]
When it comes to national insurance, the government is pulling a fast one October 16, 2024 One of the many problems the government has got itself into over tax rises that may or may not appear in the upcoming Budget is an oversimplification of where the cost of a certain tax falls. Ministers and their supporters talk about Capital Gains Tax as if it only lands on rich people selling off [...]
Support for innovation is needed in Budget warns pharmaceutical industry October 15, 2024 The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has called on Rachel Reeves to prioritise research and development (R&D) investment in the coming Labour Budget to unlock the potential of the UK life sciences sector. The APBI’s pre-Budget submission stressed the importance of maintaining and increasing public R&D funding to increase the UK’s attractiveness as [...]
Reeves looks to charm small business amid tax backlash October 15, 2024 Rachel Reeves has mounted a charm offensive on small business owners this evening after a furious backlash against rumoured plans to hike capital gains tax and national insurance at the Budget this month. At a summit of executives and start-up founders in Downing Street, the Chancellor is expected to bang the drum for more investment [...]
Standard Chartered wins Libor-linked court battle against investors October 15, 2024 British bank Standard Chartered has won its battle against its investors, meaning it can now impose "fundamentally different commercial bargains...from what had been agreed"
Centrica-backed Highview Power announces major investment into new power plants October 15, 2024 Highview Power, an energy provider backed by British Gas owner Centrica, has announced a major investment into new power plants to help the UK achieve its net zero goals by 2030. The announcement comes following the launch of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ’s) new investment support scheme last week. Highview Power, [...]