Life is sweet for Hotel Chocolat as it unveils a 28 per cent surge in first-half profits February 22, 2017 Life's pretty sweet for Hotel Chocolat at the moment: it has beaten expectations in its interim results and recorded a rise in profits too. The figures The chocolatier and retailer beat expectations with a tasty 28 per cent jump in pre-tax profits to £11.2m in the first half of the financial year. Reported revenue rose 14 per [...]
Lloyds Bank pre-tax profits more than doubled in 2016 as PPI charges were slashed February 22, 2017 Lloyds Banking Group reported today that its statutory pre-tax profits for the year had shot up, as conduct-related charges for the year (ie. PPI costs) were more than halved. The figures The bank revealed statutory profits before tax of £4.2bn, up 158 per cent on £1.6bn the year before – although analysts had predicted the figure [...]
Airbus beats forecasts despite facing turbulent times with a fresh charge to its military aircraft programme February 22, 2017 European aerospace group Airbus beat analyst expectations despite revealing its earnings took a huge hit thanks to its embattled A400M military aircraft programme. The figures France-based Airbus booked a fresh €1.2bn (£1bn) charge on its A400M programme, bringing the total for last year to €2.2bn – and the total since the project was launched more than a decade ago now sits [...]
How to get from Waterloo to Bank when the Waterloo & City line is down: Tube, bus and walking routes, ranked from fastest to slowest February 22, 2017 Another morning rush hour, another Tube strike affecting the Waterloo & City line. The drain may only be a six minute journey – just under a mile and a half of track – but it carries roughly 15m passengers a year. And when it goes down, City commuters are the ones who suffer the most. But what's the [...]
Here’s everything you’ll need to avoid Tube troubles during today’s Central line strike February 22, 2017 You may have heard there's going to be a Tube strike tonight. It's going ahead from 9pm tonight until 9pm tomorrow, Wednesday 22 February and is set to cause significant disruption to the Central and Waterloo & City Lines (with likely knock-on effects elsewhere too). So to prepare for the trouble, here's everything you'll need [...]
What really goes on inside Barclays’ global business division… February 22, 2017 | City Talk Have 120 seconds free? Take a look behind the scenes at Barclays' UK corporate, consumer and investment bank. Discover why a 250-year relationship is so vital for this operation:
Swiss ABB will take a multi-million dollar charge due to fraud in its South Korea unit February 22, 2017 Swiss engineering firm ABB said it will likely take a $100m (£80m) pre-tax hit in its 2016 results after uncovering criminal activity in its South Korean subsidiary. "ABB has uncovered a sophisticated criminal scheme related to a significant embezzlement and misappropriation of funds in its South Korean subsidiary," the power and automation company said in a statement. The [...]
Insurance discount rate debate: A fundamentally flawed decision that could cost the sector billions February 22, 2017 No one can dispute the right of someone seriously injured in an accident to receive compensation. Where claimants choose to take a lump sum, arriving at the right figure is no easy task as it needs to take into account the long-term cost of care and loss of earnings, among other things. A key component [...]
High street stalwart Debenhams shakes off payment scandal February 22, 2017 Last week, Debenhams was named by the government as one of the worst companies for underpaying staff. YouGov Brand Index data shows how the news has altered perception of the brand. Over the last year, I have discussed how adverse stories about pay have damaged companies including Sports Direct and Harrods, but also how positive [...]
The UK’s big banks need to keep a close watch on risks February 22, 2017 Less than a week ago, analysts were predicting that the UK’s banks could be about to turn a corner. Mega-fines appeared to be tailing off, signalling an end to the failings of the past. It was no secret that fresh challenges lay ahead for the sector, notably the costs of ringfencing and IT legacy issues, but [...]