Time to breakup? Which UK stocks might benefit from selling assets January 27, 2025 Selling assets is a fashionable activity for UK stocks: WH Smith announced this morning that it is exploring a possible sale of its high street business to focus on its travel trade, following in the footsteps of Reckitt Bensicker, Marston’s and DCC, all of which have sold assets to unlock value recently. The news from [...]
FTSE 100 hits all-time high as investors bet on interest rate cuts January 17, 2025 The FTSE 100 has hit a new all-time high this morning, surpassing the previous peaks it reached in spring last year, as investors ramp up their bets on an interest rate cut by the Bank of England next month. The value of London’s 100 largest listed companies has grown 3.2 per cent in the last [...]
Mark Kleinman: Unilever puts buyout firms in the deep freeze December 12, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week, he tackles Unilever’s flakey ice cream approach, Thames Water’s demanding investors, and the long-winded sale of The Observer. Anyone for an ice cream fight? The decision of FTSE-100 consumer goods behemoth Unilever to [...]
Unilever: Dove and Magnum owner shrugs off economic concerns October 24, 2024 Consumer goods giant Unilever has reported a period of strong growth as demand for its so-called power brands surged. In a trading update for the third quarter of 2024, the company said it had recorded underlying sales growth of 4.5 per cent compared to the prior year across its main divisions, with volume growth of [...]
UK at risk of losing out on Unilever ice-cream float September 15, 2024 The UK is at risk of losing out on a key deal for London because it hasn’t appointed an investment minister, according to a former Barclays chairman. Gerry Grimstone, who also worked as investment minister at the Treasury from 2020-2022, said that Labour’s lack of focus on boosting the UK’s stock market may see Unilever’s [...]
Unilever considers sale of Kate Somerville’s skincare line August 27, 2024 Kate Somerville’s premium skincare brand has become the latest Unilever brand to go up for sale as the group continues its restructuring plan announced earlier in the year. As well as Somerville’s eponymous facialist line, which the FTSE-100 giant has owned since 2015, it is also looking to offload sensitive-skincare specialist REN Skincare, according to [...]
Unilever triples spend on video game ads to target younger audience August 15, 2024 Consumer goods giant Unilever is betting big on gaming to help it advertise to elusive younger audiences. The company, which owns a host of household name brands including Lynx and Dove, has poured money into its in-game advertising department over the past three years, tripling its spend since 2021. It now has a team of [...]
Unilever shares surge to the top of the FTSE 100 despite sales miss July 25, 2024 Dove and Marmite-maker Unilever missed its sales targets in the second quarter of the year as a turnaround plan from chief Hein Schumacher failed to convince customers.
Flora maker’s plant-based gamble pays off as sales of the now-vegan spread surge July 22, 2024 The UK arm of the group behind Flora Buttery has seen its gamble pay off after it made the iconic spread 100 per cent vegan, according to newly-filed documents.
Unilever: Magnum and Dove maker ‘to cut over 3,000 European jobs’ July 12, 2024 Unilever is planning to cut more than 3,000 jobs based at its offices across Europe by the end of 2025, according to reports.