Games Workshop repays business rates support as profits surge in pandemic January 12, 2021 Games Workshop, the owner of Warhammer, this morning announced it would repay business rates support as it reported a surge in profit in the second half after consumer demand soared during the pandemic. The London-listed firm said profit before tax was £91.6m in the six months to 29 November, compared to £58.6m in 2019, and [...]
Vistry to resume dividends after housebuilder reports strong 2020 performance January 12, 2021 Vistry has announced it will resume dividend payouts after a strong second half performance, with the housebuilder expected to report 2020 profit of around £140m. The FTSE 250 developer said this morning that it is planning a “modest” final dividend when it announces its full-year results next month. The company said the decision to resume [...]
Boeing 737: Indonesian passenger plane missing after ‘falling 10,000ft’ January 9, 2021 A Boeing 737 passenger plane with an estimated 62 people on board has disappeared after taking off from Jakarta. According to reports, the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 lost contact on its route from the Indonesian capital to Pontianak on the island of Borneo. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said the aircraft, which set off at 2.37pm [...]
Covid-19 lockdown: Government tells public to ‘act like you have the virus’ January 9, 2021 The government has instructed the public to act like they have got the coronavirus and adhere to Covid-19 lockdown rules amid fears that the NHS is struggling to cope with the influx of new cases. A new advertising campaign has been launched reinforcing the “stay at home” message, in a bid to stem the transmission [...]
Rishi Sunak to delay tax hikes until after March budget amid mutant virus strain January 9, 2021 The chancellor is reportedly expected to delay plans for tax rises until after his March budget as concerns rise over the huge economic impact of the pandemic, with cases of the new mutant strain of coronavirus spreading across the country. Rishi Sunak has previously warned that government debt built up during the crisis could become [...]
Twitter permanently suspends Donald Trump’s account to prevent incitement of violence January 9, 2021 Twitter has permanently suspended Donald Trump’s account, citing the risk of further incitement of violence following the storming of the US Capitol on Wednesday. The US President has repeatedly used the platform to declare that the outcome of the 3 November election was fraudulent and to share other conspiracy theories. Trump also urged his supporters [...]
Marston’s boss calls for extra support as pub chain expects sites to be closed until March January 8, 2021 The boss of pub chain Marston’s this morning urged the government for additional support for hospitality firms, as the company revealed it expects its sites to be closed until at least March due to the Covid-19 lockdown. The company, which has been forced to close all of its pubs due to the third nationwide lockdown, [...]
UK house prices end 2020 on record high but growth slows January 8, 2021 UK house prices ended 2020 on a record high, but the pace of growth slowed towards the end of the year, the latest figures showed. House prices in the UK were 0.2 per cent higher in December than the previous month, reaching an average value of £253,374. On an annual basis, property prices jumped six [...]
Barratt Developments to resume paying dividends next month January 8, 2021 Barratt Developments announced this morning that it intends to resume shareholder payouts next month as it reported a surge in new home sales due to pent-up demand following the first nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. The FTSE 100 housebuilder said it had delivered an “excellent first half performance” but warned that sales rates had become more subdued [...]
London hotel investment expected to boom in 2021 as vaccine roll-out whets investor appetite January 8, 2021 Investor appetite for central London hotel assets is expected to boom in 2021 due to the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines, strengthened by opportunities presented by the pandemic and Brexit. Analysis by estate agent chain Knight Frank predicted strong demand for hotel investment this year once the pandemic eases and borders and airways reopen, with the sector [...]
