Drinks giant Diageo boosts sales and profits January 31, 2019 Drinks conglomerate Diageo boosted both profit and sales in the first-half of its financial year and announced a £660m share buyback. The maker of drink brands such as Smirnoff vodka and Johnnie Walker whisky, said net sales increased 5.8 per cent to £6.9bn with organic growth partially offset by unfavourable exchange. Reported operating profit was [...]
Law firm DWF announces intention to float in UK’s largest legal listing January 31, 2019 Law firm DWF yesterday announced its intention to float on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in what would make it by far the largest law firm to go public worldwide. The firm would become just the sixth publicly traded UK law firm, the first to list on the main market and the [...]
Let’s go: AO World’s chief executive departs with founder returning to the role January 31, 2019 Electrical retailer AO World said today that its chief executive Steve Caunce is stepping down as chief executive and from the board with immediate effect. He is being replaced by the company’s founder John Roberts who was chief executive until February 2017 when he was replaced by Caunce. The company said that Caunce had “decided to [...]
London listings in slowest start since 2010 as Brexit worries dampen market January 30, 2019 London’s IPO market has got off to its slowest start since the financial crisis this year as the looming Brexit date dents investor confidence. London Stock Exchange (LSE) data, shows that in the year to 29 January just £680,000 has been raised in London initial public offerings (IPOs). By 29 January 2018 £40m had been [...]
Institute of Directors’ chief leaves in wake of racism scandal surrounding ex-chair January 30, 2019 The director general of business lobby group the Institute of Directors has today said he will step down early, months on from a racism and bullying scandal that saw the resignation of the organisation’s chair. Stephen Martin, who had led the IoD since February 2017, is stepping down with a year to run in his [...]
Ghosn says charges against him are ‘plot’ to stop integration between Renault and Nissan January 30, 2019 Former Nissan chair Carlos Ghosn said today that charges against him in Japan were the result of "plot and treason" by Nissan executives opposed to deeper integration between Renault and its alliance partners Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. Ghosn, who is being held in prison in Tokyo, said he had “no doubt” the charges against him [...]
London Stock Exchange to buy €278.5m stake in Euroclear January 30, 2019 The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has expanded its reach in Europe with an agreement today to acquire a nearly five per cent stake in clearing house Euroclear. The LSE said today it will buy an aggregate 4.92 per cent stake in Euroclear’s share capital for €278.5m (£241.9 million). Brussels-based Euroclear provides settlement, custody and collateral management [...]
Deloitte fined in connection with 1MDB corruption scandal January 30, 2019 Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte has today been hit with a 2.2m Ringitt (£409,559) fine by Malaysian regulators for failures in its audit of a firm linked to the scandal-hit 1MDB fund. The Securities Commission Malaysia issued a reprimand and fine for four breaches connected to the 2.4bn Ringitt Sukuk Murabahah Programme, an Islamic bond issued [...]
Personal insolvencies reach seven-year high as credit squeezed and wages stagnate January 29, 2019 The number of people in England and Wales turning to insolvency to deal with debt problems has risen to a seven-year high as consumer credit tightens and wages stagnate. There were 34,108 individual insolvencies in the fourth quarter, an increase of 34.8 per cent on the third quarter. In 2018 the number of people who [...]
New Lloyd’s boss John Neal apologises for ‘unacceptable’ results as he sets out his vision for the future January 29, 2019 The new chief executive of Lloyd’s of London apologised for the insurance markets’ “unacceptable” performance and unveiled a plan to get it back on track in his first public speech today. John Neal, who joined Lloyd’s four months ago from insurer QBE, took the job against a backdrop of poor results at Lloyd’s which suffered [...]
