Third of London restaurants worried they can’t afford energy bills, new data reveals February 16, 2023 A third of London restaurants are concerned they may be unable to pay their bills if energy prices keep rising, according to a new study by Uswitch for Business. In the capital, restaurants are currently operating at an average capacity of 54 per cent – six per cent lower than the UK average – with [...]
Concern for millions as Ofgem confirms forced prepayment meter ban ends in April February 16, 2023 The suspension on forced installations only extends until the end of March, confirmed watchdog Ofgem in a letter to suppliers.
Bitcoin smashes six-month high as markets make a sudden move to the upside February 16, 2023 Bitcoin is trading at $24,620 this morning, an increase of 11% over 24 hours, while Ethereum is up by 8% at $1,685.
Nestle: Cost inflation eats into KitKat maker’s profit as it tumbles 45 per cent to £8.4bn February 16, 2023 KitKat and Nescafe coffee maker Nestle has revealed its net profits tumbled by 45 per cent as cost inflation led the global food and drink giant to hike up the prices of its products. The Switzerland-headquartered company, which owns some of the world’s biggest food brands, said its net profits fell to 9.3 billion Swiss [...]
Exclusive: Zopa snaps up buy-now pay-later firm DivideBuy February 16, 2023 Digital lender Zopa is set to snap up buy-now pay-later firm DivideBuy as it kicks off a dealmaking push following a funding round earlier this year. The deal marks the London-based bank’s first acquisition and comes after it raised a £75m warchest in January, which bosses said would be channelled into dealmaking. Zopa did not [...]
Home REIT receives takeover approach as it confirms rent collapse and ‘wrongdoing’ investigation February 16, 2023 Home REIT revealed it is the subject of a potential takeover bid this morning as it confirmed its rental collection had collapsed and swathes of its property portfolio were in need of refurbishment. In a statement, the troubled social housing investor said it had received an unsolicited approach from London-based investment firm Bluestar regarding a [...]
Nicola Sturgeon’s exit is a chance to leave independence politics behind February 16, 2023 Nicola Sturgeon is a skilled politician, of this we can be in no doubt. However she used those skills almost exclusively for the advancement of a single mission: Scottish Independence. In the UK, there are politicians of different creeds and business leaders from across sectors working tirelessly to create opportunities where previously there were none, [...]
Russia pummels Ukraine with barrage of overnight missiles as targets in north, west, south, east and centre hit February 16, 2023 Russia again pummelled Ukraine with a barrage of cruise and other missiles on Thursday, hitting targets from east to west. Ukrainian authorities said one of the strikes killed a 79-year-old woman and injured at least seven other people. Russian forces used a variety of missile types, firing 36 in all in a two-hour overnight bombardment, [...]
Brexit is ‘only thing’ that divided Corbyn and Starmer in shadow cabinet, Diane Abbott says February 16, 2023 Jeremy Corbyn “in his heart of hearts is a Brexiter”, one of his longest-standing allies has said, backing up a suspicion critics held during the EU referendum. Diane Abbott, who served as his shadow home secretary, said on Wednesday that Mr Corbyn is “anti-EU” and saw it as “a conspiracy of business people”. He followed [...]
British Gas owner Centrica posts £3.3bn record profit – more than treble last year’s £948m February 16, 2023 British Gas owner Centrica has unveiled record profits of £3.3bn - powered by soaring energy prices and historic market volatility.