Mears Group shares tumble 10 per cent on lacklustre financial results March 19, 2019 Shares in housing and social care provider the Mears Group fell 10 per cent this morning after it missed targets for profit and its revenue fell. Earnings per share rose 3.6 per cent to 29p, below market expectations. Broker Liberum said earnings per share was six per cent lower than its estimate and said it was [...]
The Gym Group gets in shape with revenue and profit boost March 19, 2019 Low cost exercise chain the Gym Group said today it boosted revenue 35 per cent last year to £123.9m as it added 30 new gyms to its portfolio. The figures Statutory profit before tax for 2018 was £10m, up from £9.2m the year previously. Its shares rose nearly seven per cent to 216p in early trading. [...]
Visa reforms fail to align immigration system with existing legislation despite harmonisation support March 19, 2019 Recent reforms to so-called golden visas for wealthy investors have failed to align the rules with existing financial regulations, despite overwhelming support from stakeholders for harmonisation. A survey conducted by Farzin Yazdi, head of investor visas at Shard Capital found 75 per cent of respondents believed immigration rules should be aligned to the widely accepted [...]
Fraud office launches investigation into collapsed lender London Capital & Finance March 18, 2019 The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into failed £236m lender London Capital & Finance (LCF), it said today. The SFO said it made four arrests in the Kent and Sussex areas on 4 March. It said all four individuals have been released pending further investigation. The SFO is investigating in conjunction with [...]
Domino’s Pizza hits back at reports it misled the City over franchisee row March 18, 2019 Domino’s Pizza published a statement today hitting back at allegations that it had misled the City over the state of its relationship with its franchisees. Domino’s said it “strongly refutes the reported allegations” and said it “has been clear and transparent that it has been in commercial discussions with franchisees, which are continuing.” The Sunday [...]
Mortgage finance hub Lendinvest targets £500m London listing March 14, 2019 Online property finance marketplace Lendinvest has reportedly appointed advisers for a potential £500m float. Lendinvest has appointed corporate finance firm Lazards to advice on a listing, Sky News reported. It is set to appoint a syndicate of banks for a float that could happen as soon as this year. Sky reports that the banks are [...]
Businesses fear political threats and cyber attacks in uncertain risk environment March 14, 2019 More than three quarters of general counsels and board members view the risk landscape as having become significantly more complex in the last three years, with political risk cited as the number one risk facing businesses and technological risk a close second. A survey by law firm Clyde & Co and professional network organisation Winmark [...]
House of Lords Committee slams fraud office for slow pace of bribery investigations March 14, 2019 A House of Lords Committee today criticised the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for the slow pace of bribery investigations. In a report on the Bribery Act 2010 published today, the Committee said: “The slow pace of investigations, and in particular the failure to update companies on their progress, is a [...]
Regulators for accountants and lawyers slammed for weak money laundering supervision March 12, 2019 Most regulators for accountants and lawyers are not doing enough to scrutinise money laundering, a senior regulator said today. A review of the Office for Professional Body Anti Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) which was set up a year ago to monitor the performance of regulators, found many were not doing the job satisfactorily. Alison Barker, [...]
Computacenter shares jump on strong 2019 outlook March 12, 2019 Shares in Computacenter jumped nearly five per cent today, despite the FTSE 250 company reporting a slight drop in profit in its annual results. The company said profit fell 3.2 per cent to £108.1m, despite a nearly 15 per cent increase in revenue to £4.4bn. It increased its dividend 16 per cent to 30.3p per [...]
