Kantar boss to step down after London knife attack December 10, 2019 Kantar chief executive Eric Salama is set to step down from the top job next year, citing “personal priorities” after he was stabbed in an attack in west London in January. The data and consultancy business today announced that Salama, who has run the firm for 17 years, will step aside in 2020 following a [...]
Election 2019: Liberal Democrats slide in key London marginals December 10, 2019 The Liberal Democrats are fading away in key London marginals with just two days left before the country votes, a devastating new poll has revealed. The pro-Remain party, which has campaigned heavily throughout the capital this month, is now expected to lose in Kensington, Finchley and Golders Green and Two Cities, according to Deltapoll. Read [...]
Director at Rolls-Royce largest shareholder leaves role on engineer’s board December 10, 2019 Rolls-Royce shares fell four per cent this morning after it announced an executive from its largest shareholder, activist investor Value Act Capital, has resigned from from the engineer’s board. Bradley Singer, a non-executive director for the last nearly four years, stepped down this morning. He is chief operating officer of Value Act. When he joined [...]
Another dog for Softbank as it sells Wag stake back to company December 10, 2019 Japanese investment giant Softbank has been left with its tail between its legs after selling its stake in Wag back to the dog-walking startup, capping off a disappointing year for its $97bn Vision Fund. Softbank has agreed to sell its almost 50 per cent stake in the company and will no longer have representation on [...]
Ashtead’s UK profit tumbles amid ‘challenging’ market December 10, 2019 Equipment hire giant Ashtead has bemoaned a “challenging” UK market, in which its home A-Plant business has seen profits shrink nearly a third in the first half of the year. The FTSE 100 company enjoyed a six per cent overall rise in profit, owing to a strong performance in its core US unit, called Sunbelt, [...]
Watches of Switzerland boosted by luxury watch demand in first half-year results since listing December 10, 2019 Watches of Switzerland said today that strong demand for luxury watches had helped it boost sales and profit in its first half-year results since floating in May. The high-end retailer said revenue grew 17 per cent to £428.7m in the six months to 27 October and adjusted profit before tax was up 112 per cent [...]
Lidl sales help it hit record stake in UK supermarket sector December 10, 2019 The biggest supermarkets shed yet more market share to discounters Aldi and Lidl in the three months to the start of December, new data out today reveals. The big four grocers saw their collective market share drop by over one per cent to 67.7 per cent as people delayed their Christmas shopping and Black Friday [...]
Wetherspoons heads to the bar for £200m splurge on 10,000 new jobs December 10, 2019 Pub group JD Wetherspoons is set to spend £200m on its pub estate over the next four years creating up to 10,000 new jobs, it said today. The pub chain said it would invest the money developing new pubs and hotels as well as enlarging its existing pubs across the UK and the Republic of [...]
Fighting fit: HR development Mind Gym profit more-than doubles December 10, 2019 Aim-listed HR development firm Mind Gym has posted a half year profit of £3.9m, up from £1.1m in the same six-month period to 30 September 2018. The company, which describes itself as “the global provider of human capital and business improvement solution” also saw revenue jump from £19.4m to £23.9m year-on-year. Half-year revenue was ahead [...]
Election 2019: Justice secretary defends PM over sick child row December 10, 2019 The justice secretary has defended Boris Johnson over his reaction to a photograph of a four-year old boy with suspected pneumonia, who was forced to sleep on the floor of a hospital. Yesterday the Prime Minister repeatedly failed to acknowledge the plight of Jack Williment-Barr, who was pictured sleeping on the floor of Leeds General [...]