Meal deal maker Greencore hikes profit outlook October 8, 2024 Food manufacturer Greencore—which produces sandwiches for supermarket meal deals—has said it anticipates full year profit to be “ahead of current market expectations.” In a trading update issued today, the convenience food firm, which supplies all the UK’s major supermarkets with salads, sushi, sandwiches, snacks, ready meals, and soups, said like for like revenue growth for [...]
Unite Students: Record demand for beds amid university housing shortages October 8, 2024 Unite Students has reported strong growth and nearly-full student accommodation blocks amid record demand from students and still-constrained supply. Unite told markets this morning that like-for-like rental growth was 8.2 per cent and occupancy was 97.5 per cent for the 2024/25 academic year. The firm retained its guidance and said it expected rental growth to [...]
Motorpoint: Used car supermarket returns to profitability after ‘most difficult year’ in its history October 8, 2024 It reported retail volume growth of 17 per cent in the first half with "strong momentum" going into the next six months.
Selfridges: Saudi Arabia’s PIF invests in department store group October 8, 2024 Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is now a joint owner of the business behind upmarket department store chain, Selfridges, it has been confirmed. Thai investor Central Group has announced a deal which will see it own 60 per cent of the group’s operating and property companies, with the PIF owning the rest. Central Group [...]
Cosy Club owner Loungers reports strong growth amid new openings October 8, 2024 Cafe and bar operator Loungers has said it delivered “like for like sales growth” of 4.7 per cent, amid a string of new hospitality openings boosting its portfolio. The Cosy Club, Loungers and Brightside chains owner recorded revenue of £178.3m in the half year to 6 October, up by 19.2 per cent on the previous [...]
FTSE 100 leader Vodafone and Google expand AI partnership October 8, 2024 The agreement will mean Vodafone's customers in 15 countries - as well as partners in 45 more - will see additional storage, security features and AI assistance.
Ofwat orders water firms to pay £157.6m for missing performance targets October 8, 2024 Water companies will have to pay a £157.6m penalty after missing key targets on reducing pollution, leaks and supply interruptions while customer satisfaction continues to fall, Ofwat has said. Not one company achieved the regulator’s top category of “leading” while Anglian Water, Welsh Water and Southern Water fell into the lowest category of “lagging” while [...]
S&U fires barbs at regulator after motor finance probe dents profit October 8, 2024 Specialist lender S&U fired another salvo at the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today as it blamed regulatory pressure for the “uninspiring performance” of its motor finance business in the first six months of the year. Pretax profit across the London-listed firm slumped by nearly half to £12.8m for the six months to 31 July, down [...]
‘Challenging policy’: What the pushback to private school VAT plans reveals October 8, 2024 VAT… easy as ABC? It may not quite be Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ mantra, or Michael Gove’s multi-academy trusts. But for Sir Keir ‘my-father-was-a-toolmaker’ Starmer, there’s been one education policy that’s been front and centre of his manifesto and the first 100 days. This is, of course, the plan to impose VAT on private school [...]
The lawyer’s therapist: Turning legal insights into emotional clarity October 8, 2024 Former lawyers, now therapists, a unique business model of trying to get City lawyers to open up. The Carvalho Consultancy founder Annmarie Carvalho explains the concept