Tesco’s share price rises after supermarket agrees $12m US settlement over profits blackhole November 26, 2015 Tesco's share price climbed this morning, on the back of news that it has agreed to pay $12m (£8m) to settle a US class action lawsuit brought against it over the £263m profits blackhole discovered last year. The supermarket denied wrongdoing, but agreed to pay the all-cash settlement, according to documents filed at the US District Court [...]
Network Rail misses punctuality targets (just) November 26, 2015 Network Rail has narrowly missed its punctuality target, the train group has admitted, while revealing a drop of nearly a quarter in profits. The group is charged with getting 90 per cent of trains to their destination on time: figures out this morning show that it has reached a moving annual average of 89.5 per cent. [...]
DMGT sells Wowcher to new company owned by private equity firm Exponent for £29m November 26, 2015 The Daily Mail General Trust has offloaded discounts business Wowcher to a newly-formed company, which is majority owned by private equity firm Exponent. DMGT will retain a stake in Wowcher, which has achieved its first full year of operating profits in the 12 months to September 30 and generated revenues of £30m, through a 30 per [...]
Faulty train at Kings Cross causing travel chaos on Piccadilly Line as TfL suspends service between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove November 26, 2015 A faulty train at King's Cross was causing travel disruption throughout the Piccadilly Line this morning, as commuters struggled to get into work during rush hour. Transport for London said the service between Hyde Park Corner and Arnos Grove had been suspended in both directions. The disruption was also causing minor delays on the rest of the line. The [...]
Sports Direct, Debenhams, Tesco and House of Fraser: What does Mike Ashley own and how much is he worth? November 25, 2015 It's been a busy year for Mike Ashley, who has been buying up retailers and football clubs left, right and centre. But what exactly does he own, and how much has it cost him? And what on earth do his Sports Direct shareholders make of all the investing? Sports Direct International Ashley owns 58 per [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: No, Mr Osborne, this is not a crisis of home ownership, it’s a housing crisis – where was the pledge to fix the rental market? November 25, 2015 The chancellor thinks we’re in the middle of a home ownership crisis. We're not, we're in the middle of a housing crisis. At least the Conservatives are consistent. Their one-track focus on home ownership and home ownership alone as the only solution for the UK’s housing crisis never wavers. Despite that the Conservatives still had [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: The government must simplify pensions and cut fees so the over-50s can properly plan for retirement November 25, 2015 The UK’s retirement landscape has changed radically over recent years. While the reforms that have been introduced recently are designed to make life better for those approaching and at retirement, they have yet to have the desired effect right the way across the board. Some of today’s announcements in the Autumn Statement should go some [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: Tesco reveals deals on Digihome TVs, Acer laptops, Samsung tablets, Beats headphones and hundreds more ahead of launch on 27 November November 25, 2015 Tesco has just revealed some of the huge deals that will be on offer on Black Friday, with online bargains going on sale from midnight on 27 November while stores will open at 5am on the day. Top deals include the Digihome 49” large screen LED TV with Freeview, available for £199, saving £150, Beats Solo 2 On-Ear [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Stamp duty changes are a kick in the teeth and may be the final straw for some landlords November 25, 2015 Today's big headlines may be about the tax-credits u-turn, but one of the most significant of the chancellor's announcements was the new additional rate of stamp duty on buy-to-let properties and second homes. This additional three per cent will come as a kick in the teeth for landlords who've already had to cope with the loss [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne’s Help-to-Buy and other housing budget announcements are little more than empty rhetoric November 25, 2015 George Osborne’s big news today was the announcement that the government “chooses to build” and will double the housing budget to £2bn, reforming the housing system and pumping £7bn into building 400,000 more affordable homes. Described as "the biggest affordable housebuilding programme since the 1970s", it's great news for those in desperate need of affordable housing. However [...]