Starmer ally Powell rejects ‘stitch up’ claim: Sue Gray ‘impartial and really good at her job’ March 3, 2023 Labour’s shadow culture secretary has hit back at claims of a “stitch up”, after Partygate investigator Sue Gray joined Keir Starmer’s top team. Lucy Powell described partygate investigator Sue Gray – who plans to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff – as “impartial” and “really good at her job”. She told ITV’s [...]
UK Finance: Square Mile HQ targeted by Extinction Rebellion as six arrested March 2, 2023 The headquarters of UK Finance in the heart of the Square Mile have been targeted by environmental group Extinction Rebellion. The Bank-based trade association for UK banking was today targeted with paint and stickers, as protestors read out statements and stuck themselves to windows. Police arrested six members of the group after the building was [...]
ITV’s revenue up and profit down as I’m a Celeb broadcaster invests heavily in streaming and on-demand TV March 2, 2023 ITV had a mixed 2022 thanks to “deliberate strategic actions”, as revenue went up almost seven per cent while profit dipped due to lower advertising intake. The TV channel and on-demand service reported studio revenue of more than £2bn, a 19 per cent rise on 2021 by more than £300m. Its total group revenue was [...]
Food shortage: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl and Morrisons warn salad will not be on the menu for ‘a few weeks’ March 1, 2023 Brits are being advised to avoid salads for the next “few weeks” as supermarkets have kept restrictions in place on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Reports of adverse weather conditions in the Mediterranean has forced Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Lidl into restricting the sale of produce. This comes after social media users took to [...]
JustEat: Takeaway orders tumble due to spending pullback but profit outlook raised March 1, 2023 Online food delivery firm Just Eat Takeaway.com has said it returned to underlying earnings last year and expects to remain profitable in 2023 despite seeing a drop in orders as customers cut back. The Amsterdam-based group swung to underlying earnings of 19 million euros (£16.7 million) last year from losses of 350 million euros (£308 [...]
House price growth plummets to lowest level in a decade as confidence and costs see off buyers March 1, 2023 House price growth has plummeted to its lowest in more than a decade as a cocktail of high borrowing costs, inflation and low confidence has deterred buyers. Properties dropped in value by -1.1 per cent year on year in February, according to Nationwide’s House Price Index, down from 1.1 per cent the previous month. This [...]
Christmas comes early: PayPoint swoops on savings club Appreciate in £83m ‘earnings enhancing’ deal February 28, 2023 PayPoint has completed its acquisition of Christmas vouchers firm Appreciate Group. The two companies agreed the £83m deal last November and the boards have now finalised the buy-out agreement. The deal with PayPoint, which allows Brits to pay bills at 28,000 convenience stores across the country, involves the incorporation of some of Appreciate Group’s board [...]
Real estate veteran announced as new chair of London-focused Workspace February 28, 2023 An industry veteran and former Schroders real estate chief has been unveiled as the chair of flexible office company Workspace. Stephen Hubbard will step down from his position in July after three years in post, with Duncan Owen taking the helm of the flexible working space group. Hubbard joined the real estate investment trust’s board [...]
Gary Neville’s content company Buzz16 gets ‘multi-million pound investment’ as it looks at £200m IPO February 27, 2023 Miroma Group has acquired a majority stake in Gary Neville’s content company Buzz16, which is now planning a £200m plus IPO. Buzz16 was launched by the former footballer and current Sky Sports presenter in 2016. The exact amount Miroma paid for its share has not been disclosed but it said the “multi-million pound investment”, “solidifies” [...]
Primark owner Associated British Foods ‘dodging most economic bullets’ as outlook improves February 27, 2023 Primark owner Associated British Foods has upped its outlook for the full year after reporting a jump in sales at the budget fashion chain as consumer spending held up better than expected. The group said sales at the retailer, which has 419 stores, are set to rise by 16 per cent at actual exchange rates [...]
