Hipgnosis bags rights to music catalogue of Ed Sheeran songwriter August 7, 2019 Music royalties investment firm Hipgnosis has acquired the music catalogue of Benny Blanco, the songwriter and producer behind top artists including Ed Sheeran. Read more: Hipgnosis snaps up rights to music catalogue of Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart Hipgnosis has secured 100 per cent copyright ownership over Blanco’s portfolio of songs, which includes 29 number ones [...]
Commuters braced for another rail fare hike August 7, 2019 Commuters are braced for a three per cent rail fare hike next week, despite a slump in the punctuality of trains. The rail industry is expected to announce next Wednesday that rail fares will increase by about three per cent, pegged to the Retail Price Index (RPI). Read more: MPs call on government to scrap [...]
Ineos on the hunt for new auditor after dropping PwC in wake of tax fallout August 7, 2019 UK energy giant Ineos is reportedly dropping PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its auditor amid speculation of a major tax row between the two sides. Ineos, which is owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, is on the hunt for a new accountancy group to replace the big four beancounter, according to Sky News. Read more: Ineos plans [...]
Recruitment firm Pagegroup boosts profit despite challenging market August 7, 2019 Recruitment company Pagegroup reported an increase in profit in the first half of the year despite challenging markets in the UK and China. The figures. Revenue increased 9.2 per cent to £820.5m in the first half of the year from £751.6m in 2018, the FTSE 250 firm said. Gross profit was up 9.5 per cent [...]
British Airways IT outage causes flight delay chaos at Heathrow airport and Gatwick airport August 7, 2019 British Airways passengers are suffering delays and cancellations at airports including London Gatwick after an IT failure caused havoc with the airline’s online check-in system. The flyer has been forced to revert to manual check-in systems at airports, leaving customers stuck in queues as they wait longer to board flights. Read more: How to protect [...]
Jack Wills stores at risk as Sports Direct kicks off landlord negotiations August 7, 2019 Sports Direct has begun to negotiate with landlords over rent cuts at Jack Wills stores, which could see some branches marked for closure by the end of this week. Mike Ashley’s company is seeking to slash rents at poor performing branches after acquiring the retailer earlier this week. Stores will be shuttered if a new [...]
The growing number of retirees in debt is a worrying problem for all generations August 7, 2019 Most people aspire to a retirement that allows them to do things that they didn’t have chance to do while they were working. But this comes at a price. Shrinking pension pots, coupled with the fact that retirees will be facing longer, more active retirements, means that debt is increasingly becoming an obstacle to consumers [...]
London Deutsche Bank trader charged in Germany for ‘VAT fraud’ August 7, 2019 A trader who worked at Deutsche Bank in London has been charged by German prosecutors for his suspected role in VAT fraud. A 48-year-old Austrian is “accused of having participated as a member of a gang in a VAT carousel” connected to €145m of evaded tax, a statement from the Frankfurt Attorney General’s office said. [...]
Pensions consolidator Phoenix posts jump in profit August 7, 2019 Insurance firm Phoenix has posted a surge in profit for the first half of the year after buying out more British pension schemes. The FTSE 100 company reported a pre-tax profit of £217m in the six months to the end of June, compared to a £42m loss last year. Read more: Insurer Phoenix on the [...]
Unicredit cuts 2019 revenue guidance despite profit jump August 7, 2019 Unicredit slashed its revenue target for the full-year this morning, as interest rate headwinds and a global slowdown takes its toll on Italy’s largest bank. Revenue guidance for the year has been cut to €18.7bn (£17.2bn), falling from a previous estimate of €19.8bn. Read more: Commerzbank now warns its 2019 profit target looks ambitious UniCredit [...]