Rathbones chief Paul Stockton retires March 20, 2025 Rathbones group chief executive Paul Stockton is set to retire from his role after six years in the job. Stockton, who has worked at the asset manager for the last 16 years, will step down from the firm at the end of September, the company’s said today. He will be succeeded by Jonathan Sorrell who [...]
Yorkshire Water forced to pay out £40m after ‘serious failures’ March 20, 2025 Yorkshire Water will have to pay out a £40m “enforcement package” to address a series of “serious failures” in its maintenance of sewage networks. The water supplier will pay out £36.6m over the next five years after the water watchdog Ofwat found repeated failures to properly invest in infrastructure. Environmentally sensitive areas will be targeted [...]
Footasylum: Profit almost triples as sales surge March 20, 2025 Profit at Footasylum surged by almost 200 per cent as its sales jumped to nearly £350m during its latest financial year, it has been confirmed. The Rochdale-headquartered retailer, which is backed by Germany-headquartered investment firm Aurelius Group, has reported a pre-tax profit of £17.2m for its year to 25 January, 2025. The figure comes after Footasylum [...]
Lord Coe awaits IOC election result in Greece March 20, 2025 Lord Coe will today find out whether he has been elected to one of the biggest jobs in sport, president of the International Olympic Committee. The two-time Olympic champion and current president of World Athletics spent the final few days of campaigning telling potential voters – IOC members – how he’d take the Olympic movement [...]
Fast broadband ‘revolution’ in final phase, Ofcom says March 20, 2025 The roll-out of ultrafast broadband across the UK is in its “final phase” and could reach nearly all homes by 2027, Ofcom has said. The industry regulator said data it had compiled from telecoms firms indicated 96 per cent homes and businesses would have access to full-fibre by 2027 with the right investment and regulation. [...]
Robert De Niro backs plans for tallest skyscraper outside London March 20, 2025 A company co-founded by Hollywood legend Robert De Niro has signed up to open a hotel, restaurant and residences in a planned skyscraper which would be the tallest building outside London. Nobu Hospitality has partnered with developer Salboy on the £360m scheme in Manchester city centre. The project, known as Viadux 2, has been earmarked [...]
UK wage growth remains hot as Bank of England set to decide on interest rates March 20, 2025 Wage growth has continued to soar, new figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that annual regular pay, excluding bonuses, grew 5.9 per cent between November 2024 and January 2025. Total pay growth, which includes bonuses, increased by 5.8 per cent. “Overall pay growth remains relatively strong, with pay growth high in [...]
DIY sales support Wickes as big-ticket items still off the table March 20, 2025 Wickes has reported another drop in big-ticket home improvement sales as Brits continue to shy away from large purchases. The company also announced a new share buyback programme of £20m, which will start in April 2025. The retailer reported a one per cent drop in revenue in the year ended December 28, from £1.5bn last [...]
Investec expects profit bounce in full-year results March 20, 2025 Investec has said it expects adjusted operating profit to be ahead of last year’s figures, coming in as high as £956m. In a trading statement, the FTSE 250 bank and wealth manager said adjusted operating profit for the year was forecast to come in between £888m and £956m, compared to last year’s figure of £884.5m. [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s profit drops despite premium growth March 20, 2025 Lloyd’s of London, the world’s leading insurance and reinsurance marketplace, has reported a profit before tax of £9.6bn for 2024, a drop from the £10.7bn reported for 2023. The market, which is made up of more than 50 leading insurance companies and over 380 registered Lloyd’s brokers, recorded gross written premiums of £55.5bn for 2024, [...]