Public sector borrowing hits third highest year since 1947 April 26, 2022 Public sector net borrowing hit £151.8bn in the financial year ending March 2022, the third-highest financial year borrowing since records began in the financial year ending March 1947. Borrowing excluding public sector banks was 6.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to freshly published figures from the Office for National Statistics. However, borrowing [...]
Death of the office? Don’t tell City businesses as leases shoot up in the first quarter April 26, 2022 London’s office market looks fitter and healthier than ever before, according to the two of the UK’s largest property firms, despite the lures of working from home. Take up of office leases in central London shot up 89 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, CBRE data shared exclusively with City A.M. revealed. City firms [...]
High street: Applications to convert shops to homes soar but councils reject almost half April 25, 2022 High street shop units are increasingly being targeted for conversion into homes, new data has revealed. Research by commercial law firm EMW found that the number of conversion applications leaped 37 per cent. Some 677 applications were made in 2020/2021, versus 494 in 2019/2020. However, out of the 677 applications for conversion, some 45 per [...]
Coca Cola beats quarterly revenue expectations as thirst for hospitality returns April 25, 2022 Coca-Cola Co surpassed quarterly revenue expectations after raising prices and the reopening of theatres and restaurants. In results published on Monday, the firm said demand for soft drinks had come back with zest after entertainment and hospitality venues had reopened with the easing of Covid restrictions. Net revenue lifted 16 per cent to $10.5bn in [...]
Price war: Asda and Morrisons slash prices as supermarkets battle to woo shoppers April 25, 2022 Supermarkets are vying to win shoppers hunting for cheaper deals, as Asda and Morrisons become the latest to announce price cuts. Asda, owned by the billionaire Issa brothers, has said it will inject more than £73m into ensuring the prices of more than 100 essential items are low, until the end of the year. Meanwhile, [...]
Activist Cat Rock urges Just Eat Takeaway shareholders to drive out board April 25, 2022 Activist investor Cat Rock Capital has written to Just Eat Takeaway’s shareholders and outlined its concerns in a failure of leadership. Shareholders have been urged to vote against the chief financial officer and legacy supervisory board at the delivery firm’s next AGM. Potential in the company was going to waste due to “poor capital allocation, [...]
Chapel Down toasts to profit nearing £2m as English wine ‘thrives’ April 25, 2022 Wine producer Chapel Down has posted a profit of nearly £2m, in a dramatic comeback from a previous loss. In results for the year to 31 December posted on Monday, the firm reported a group adjusted EBITDA of a £1.93m profit, versus a £0.02m loss in 2020. The firm’s chairman described English wine as a [...]
Burger King plots 200 new UK restaurants as fast food giant eyes whopper £600m London float April 25, 2022 Burger King is eyeing an additional 200 restaurants in the UK over the next four years, after “significant under-penetration” in the country’s market. The burger chain, which has been eyeing a London float since last year, said its adjusted EBITDA nearly tripled to £49.5m. In results for the year ended 31 December, the fast food [...]
McColl’s warns of ‘softer’ trading as newsagent continues rescue talks April 25, 2022 McColl’s has acknowledged “softer trading” as customers hold back on spending while the chain continues to try secure a financial lifeline from partners. Shares tumbled some 50 per cent in early trading on Monday morning, after the retail firm gave an update on its rescue deal talks. In a trading update on Monday, the convenience [...]
Chart topper: Audioboom marks maiden profit after true crime podcast boom April 25, 2022 Podcast firm Audioboom has made a maiden profit after success with true crime podcasts and beating its own records for monthly downloads. In final audited results for the year ended 31 December 2021, the London listed firm posted revenue of $60.3m, an increase of 125 per cent on 2020. The firm reported maiden annual net [...]
