Vaccine passports would go against ‘British instinct’, says Keir Starmer April 1, 2021 Vaccine passports for entry to pubs, bars and restaurants would go against the “British instinct”, Sir Keir Starmer has said. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Labour leader said he would only decide his party’s official stance on the scheme once he had studied detailed proposals. “I think this is really difficult and [...]
Co-op bites back at shoplifters with GPS tracking on meat April 1, 2021 The Co-op has begun attaching GPS tracking tags on meat products in a trial to bite back at shoplifters this week. Clear plastic boxes with the tracking tech built-in have been put around meat products in stores across the UK. What triggered Co-op to place GPS tracking on their items is unknown, but it is [...]
SPAC phenomenon helps global M&A break $1 trillion barrier in first quarter April 1, 2021 It has been a flying start for global M&A this year with blank-cheque vehicles becoming one of the principal drivers of deal-making. Special acquisition companies – SPACs – have become the go-to option for firms looking to go public. For targets the vehicles are potentially an easier route to market than a traditional IPO. The [...]
Sportech’s losses deepen as Covid hits betting firm’s trading April 1, 2021 Gambling firm Sportech’s pre-tax loss deepened in 2020 as Covid restrictions on trading battered the company’s operations. Sportech’s adjusted pre-tax loss worsened to £5.2m from £2 in 2019, while revenues fell 41 per cent to £20m. Meanwhile, gross profit fell by more than 27 per cent to £34m in 2020. Richard McGuire, chief executive of [...]
Digital 9 Infrastructure buys business operating 14,300 of trans-Atlantic sub-sea fibre April 1, 2021 Digital 9 Infrastructure, an investment trust that seeks out digital infrastructure assets that deliver reliable internet, has completed the acquisition of Aqua Comms for £160m, its first acquisition. Aqua Comms is a platform that owns and operates some 14,300km of trans-Atlantic sub-sea fibre systems. Digital 9 said Aqua Comms’ infrastructure represented the very “backbone” of [...]
Quilter offloads international business to Utmost for £483m April 1, 2021 Quilter has agreed to sell its international business for £483m as it looks to focus its attention on its UK wealth management division.
Equiniti chairman admits 2020 was a ‘difficult year for shareholders’ as profits tumble April 1, 2021 The chairman of Equiniti has admitted 2020 was a tough year, with the business recording reduced revenue, EBITDA and profit. Revenue at the payments and technology firm was down 15 per cent in 2020 to £471.8m, and underlying EBITDA tumbled 32.6 per cent to £91.7m. Equiniti made a loss of £6.6m in profit before [...]
Test and Trace: Impact of £37bn scheme ‘limited’ as Brits shun self-isolation April 1, 2021 The Government has responded to a damnig report which found the effectiveness of the UK’s £37bn Test and Trace programme is “limited” due to the widespread failure of Brits to recognise Covid symptoms and self-isolate. A large study examining the NHS system found that fewer than one in five people request a Covid-19 test if [...]
Monzo finance chief leaves for crypto platform Luno April 1, 2021 Monzo’s chief financial officer is the latest top-level executive to leave the digital bank after just two years with the challenger bank. Alwyn Jones, who joined Monzo in September 2018 from Barclays, will join cryptocurrency firm Luno as CFO as cryptocurrency gains traction among top financiers. Luno is a leading crypto exchange launched in 2013 [...]
E-commerce boom sparks rush in job searches as UK vacancies hit highest level for a year April 1, 2021 Britain’s online spending boom has sparked huge rises in e-commerce job searches, according to new data from recruitment platform Indeed Flex. Indeed Flex found significant increases in job searches related to e-commerce between 1 February and 1 March. Searches for picker jobs more than doubled, while searches for warehouse positions rose by up to 82 [...]