Foreign takeovers of UK companies plummet amid M&A decline March 4, 2025 The number of foreign investors launching M&A deals for UK companies plummeted in the fourth quarter of last year, with only £4.5bn spent by buyers from abroad. According to data from the Office for National Statistics, the number of foreign companies acquiring UK companies (known as ‘inward M&A) fell to its to its lowest level [...]
Former BP boss Looney joins climate focussed AI start-up March 4, 2025 Former BP chief executive Bernard Looney has been appointed chairman of a sustainability-focussed AI start-up nearly a year and a half after his scandalous departure from the oil major. London-headquartered ExpertAI aims to reduce small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) emissions by improving access to local green suppliers and subsidies. Looney joins a year and a [...]
Supermarket sales rise, but Asda continues to struggle March 4, 2025 Sales at UK supermarkets rose above inflation in February as Brits looked for cost-effective ways to treat themselves. Take-home sales at the grocers rose by 3.6 per cent over the four weeks to 23 February, while prices rose 3.3 per cent, according to Kantar. However, the headline figure masked a gulf between the performance of [...]
Motor finance complaints hit record levels March 4, 2025 The UK financial ombudsman has received a record number of complaints about motor finance loans in the most recent quarter, according to new data. On Tuesday, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) said that complaints about car loan cases had surpassed credit cards as the subject with the most unresolved complaints in the financial sector. Some [...]
‘Sell’ Greggs shares analysts say after poor results March 4, 2025 High street bakery Greggs has reported a double-digit increase in sales for 2024, taking it past the £2bn sales milestone for the first time. However, its share price fell more than eight per cent in early trades, which analysts attributed to a slowdown in sales growth. “Profits are up but it’s not the stellar performance [...]
IWG: Co-working platform announces share buyback, higher dividend March 4, 2025 Hybrid workspace provider IWG has announced a share buyback programme and an increase in its dividend after a jump in earnings. The company will buy back $50m (£39.4m) worth of shares and pay out a dividend of 0.90 pence per share for a total 2024 dividend of 1.33 pence per share, up from one pence per [...]
Why top law firms are betting big on virtual reality training | What’s the Context? March 4, 2025 City AM's legal reporter Maria Ward-Brennan visits the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills to try out the virtual reality tools they are testing to train their lawyers.
The 13 skyscrapers set to redefine the City of London’s skyline March 4, 2025 The City of London Corporation has released new images visualising how the Square Mile’s skyline will look.
Reach: Daily Mirror and Express owner beats profit forecasts March 4, 2025 Reach, the owner of the Daily Mirror and the Express, beat annual profit forecasts on Tuesday as its efforts to cost cuts began to pay off. Operating profit increased six per cent to £102.3m, exceeding analysts’ forecasts of £97.4m. Earnings per share jumped 16 per cent to 25.3p even as revenue declined 5.3 per cent [...]
Lower retail prices drive shops into deflation March 4, 2025 Prices in UK shops continued to fall in February, as discounting in retail offset high grocery prices. Shop prices fell by 0.7 per cent year on year in February against a decline of 0.7 per cent in January, driven by a 2.1 per cent drop in retail prices. “Discounting is still widespread in fashion as [...]
