Swizzels Matlow: Sales near £100m at Love Hearts maker October 7, 2024 Profit at Swizzels Matlow, the maker of sweets such as Love Hearts and Refreshers, was slashed in half during its latest financial year despite its sales jumping to almost £100m. The Peak District-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax profit of £4.4m for 2023, down from the £8.2m it achieved in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies [...]
‘Hugely damaging’: AJ Bell warns Reeves against pension tax raid October 7, 2024 AJ Bell has added to mounting calls for Rachel Reeves to retreat from a raid on UK pensioners today as it warned rumours of the government’s tax plans were “hugely damaging” and “making people fearful about long-term saving”. In a call to the Chancellor, the FTSE 250 savings and investment platform, which is headquartered in [...]
TGI Fridays: Full list of UK restaurants staying open after rescue deal agreed October 7, 2024 More than 2,000 jobs have been saved after a deal to acquire the UK operation of American cocktail bar and restaurant chain TGI Fridays out of administration was agreed. Breal Capital and Calveton, who own restaurant group D&D London, have snapped up a majority stake for an undisclosed sum through their acquisition vehicle Liberty Bar and Restaurant [...]
City Hall: Blow to Sadiq Khan as deputy mayor for policing quits for government job October 7, 2024 City Hall’s deputy mayor for policing and crime has quit her post for a government job in a blow to Sadiq Khan. Sophie Linden is to step down from her £141,386-a-year role to become a senior adviser to justice secretary Shabana Mahmood, the Greater London Authority (GLA) has announced. Linden has been in post since [...]
Astrazeneca boosts cardiovascular pipeline with licensing deal October 7, 2024 Astrazeneca has struck a licensing agreement worth up to $2bn (£1.5bn) with China’s CPSC Pharmaceutical Group to develop a new cardiovascular drug, the company announced on Monday. The Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant will pay $100m (£76.5) upfront, with additional milestone payments of up to $1.9bn (£1.4bn), to licence a preclinical small molecule aimed at treating dyslipidemia. [...]
Congestion charge: Ocado leads push against ‘money making’ levy October 7, 2024 More than 40 UK businesses, including Ocado, the AA, and Openreach, have urged Sadiq Khan to scrap plans to extend the £15 daily congestion charge to electric vans. The businesses argue that this hugely unpopular congestion charge if continued, would severely impact those who have invested in greener fleets. Under Transport for London (TfL)’s current [...]
John Lewis boss to step back from role after two years October 7, 2024 John Lewis Partnership chief executive Nish Kankiwala will step back from his role in spring next year, with freshly-inaugurated chair Jason Terry to take a larger role in the day-to-day running of the firm. The retailer, which runs both the John Lewis retail chain and the Waitrose grocery arm, said that Kankiwala will revert to [...]
Turnover rise for Kenco maker despite coffee lovers buying less after price rises October 7, 2024 Sales at Jacobs Douse Egberts, whose brands include the likes of Kenco and L’or, increased despite fewer people buying coffee after the group upped its prices. The Maidenhead-headquartered UK division of the Netherlands giant said consumers bought less coffee during its latest financial year because it rose its prices because of “exceptional levels of input [...]
UK insurers brace for major Hurricane Milton set to hit Florida October 7, 2024 Shares in London-listed insurers dropped on Monday as the market braces for costs tied to Hurricane Milton, a major storm expected to hit Florida by Wednesday.
Alleged leaks and media ties: Trial against former SFO staff put on 24-hour hold October 7, 2024 Former senior employees of the Serious Fraud Office, set to face a seven week civil trial over the fallout over a probe into ENRC, has since been put on a 24-hour hold