Bunzl boosts profit on strong coronavirus protective equipment demand August 24, 2020 UK distribution business Bunzl today said it had boosted revenue and profit in the first half of the year and said it had agreed to buy businesses in Ireland and the US. Bunzl said it grew operating profit 16.9 per cent to £279.4m and revenue seven per cent to £4.8bn in the six months to [...]
JD Wetherspoon expects sales to fall once Eat Out to Help Out scheme ends August 24, 2020 Pub chain JD Wetherspoon today said it expects its sales to fall once the government subsidised Eat Out to Help Out scheme finishes. The scheme gives diners 50 per cent off up to £10 a head on meals bought at participating outlets on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout August. The business owners must then [...]
Top 25 law firm DAC Beachcroft seals £65m deal with HSBC and Lloyds to provide ‘firepower’ during covid downturn August 21, 2020 UK top 25 law firm DAC Beachcroft has sealed a £65m financing deal with Lloyds and HSBC to help give it the “firepower” to push through the covid-downturn. The London-headquartered law firm, which has 19 offices and more than 2,600 people around the world, said it boosted its finance facility to ensure its plans for [...]
Brexit negotiations: Deal ‘will not be easy to achieve’ August 21, 2020 The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said an exit deal with the European Union “will not be easy to achieve,” following the latest round of talks. “We have just concluded the seventh round of negotiations with the EU. As I said last week, agreement is still possible, and it is still our goal, but [...]
Crossrail opening delayed until 2022 and extra £1.1bn needed to finish project August 21, 2020 The opening of London’s new Crossrail underground line has been delayed until 2022 and an extra £1.1bn is needed to complete the project, Crossrail Ltd said today. Crossrail said the central section of the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Abbey Wood will be ready to open in the first half of 2022. Crossrail has faced [...]
PwC delays results over coronavirus partner pay uncertainty August 21, 2020 Big Four accountancy firm PwC UK said it is delaying its annual results by four months because the coronavirus slowdown means it is unsure of what to pay partners and what to distribute in staff bonuses. PwC normally announces its results in September but is now planning on releasing its results for the year to [...]
Alexei Navalny supporters accuse Kremlin of blocking his evacuation to Germany August 21, 2020 Allies of critically ill Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny accused the Kremlin of thwarting his medical evacuation to Germany today and said the move puts his life in mortal danger because the hospital treating him in Siberia is under equipped. Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, is in a serious condition after drinking [...]
Steve Bannon charged with fraud conspiracy over US-Mexico border wall funding August 20, 2020 Steve Bannon, a former adviser to US President Donald Trump, has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in relation to a fundraising campaign to support the building of the US-Mexico border wall, the US Justice Department said today. Trump’s former White House chief strategist was arrested on charges that he defrauded donors to [...]
AO World revenue surges as customers continue online shopping post-lockdown August 20, 2020 Online electrical retailer AO World said today its revenue surged in the months during and after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns as demand for its products and services was sustained even after its rivals reopened stores in July. The company said year-on-year revenue in the UK jumped 58.9 per cent to £401.3m and 91.5 per [...]
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny hospitalised after suspected poisoning August 20, 2020 Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is in a serious condition in a Siberian hospital after suffering severe symptoms of suspected poisoning, his spokeswoman said today. Navalny, 44, is unconscious, in intensive care and on an artificial lung ventilator, his spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said on social media. “We assume that Alexei was poisoned with something mixed [...]