O2 grows revenue and customer numbers as it prepares for ‘cautious’ 5G rollout February 21, 2019 O2 revealed strong customer and revenue growth for 2018 today as revealed plans to bring 5G to the UK this year. Read more: Vodafone connects smartphones to 5G in world first The figures The mobile operator added 501,000 net contract additions to bring its total base to 32.6m, with a contract churn rate of just [...]
Barclays profits slip as bank sets aside £150m for Brexit February 21, 2019 Profits missed estimates at Barclays last year, the bank revealed today, as it set aside £150m for Brexit and paid out billions of pounds in misconduct and litigation charges related to its role in the financial crisis. Read more: Ex-Barclays chair Agius tells court he was unaware of £280m Qatar deal The figures Profit before [...]
The Dutch ‘Brexit Snatch’: Why Azimo is not quitting the UK February 20, 2019 Have you heard the news? Azimo is one of 250 companies moving to the Netherlands in an alleged ‘Brexit Snatch’ by the Dutch government. Read more: London fintech startups poised to expand in Europe They say never let the truth get in the way of a good story but as the chief executive of Azimo, [...]
Lloyds Banking Group boosts profits 24 per cent and reveals £1.75bn share buyback scheme February 20, 2019 Lloyds Banking Group’s profits surged 24 per cent in 2018, it revealed today, as it announced a £1.75bn share buyback scheme. The bank said it was "confident in the future" of the UK economy, citing record employment, surging wages and low interest rates. Read more: HSBC boss John Flint needs short term rigour as well [...]
Fashion industry magnate Karl Lagerfeld dies February 19, 2019 Karl Lagerfeld, the designer of haute-couture, died today aged 85, according to reports. The fashion icon died this morning at the American Hospital on the outskirts of Paris after being admitted yesterday, French site Pure People reported. Read more: MPs call for a penny tax on new clothes to cut waste Designer Donatella Versace posted a [...]
UK bags Europe’s M&A top spot with $247bn of deals in 2018 as TMT mergers grow February 19, 2019 The UK enjoyed the highest value of M&A deals in Europe last year as telecoms and media takeovers spiked. High value purchases like Comcast’s $39bn purchase of Sky pushed mergers involving UK companies to $247bn in 2018, data compiled by law firm Clifford Chance found. Read more: Watchdog delays final report on Sainsbury's-Asda merger Both domestic and [...]
Government laments Honda’s ‘devastating’ move to close Swindon car plant as firm warns UK ‘no longer viable’ February 19, 2019 The government today called Honda’s decision to close its Swindon car manufacturing plant a “bitter blow” for the UK’s suffering car industry. Honda earlier confirmed reports that it intends to shut the factory in 2021, putting 3,500 British jobs at risk in the process. Read more: Honda to close Swindon factory, putting 3,500 jobs at [...]
Looking to the Future: Publisher bets it will beat full-year guidance as digital audience grows revenue February 19, 2019 Future already predicts it will beat expectations for its new financial year after experiencing strong momentum over the first quarter, it said today. The publisher of Tech Radar, Total Film and What Hi-Fi also believes results will be “significantly ahead of its expectations” for the first half of the year, it said in a trading update that [...]
On a roll: Vegan sausage roll sales help Greggs seek higher profits February 19, 2019 Greggs has hailed its vegan sausage roll for driving “exception sales performance” at the start of 2019 as it told investors that full-year profit is likely to beat expectations. Read more: Cherry on the cake: Greggs shares climb as baker lifts profit outlook The bakery chain began the year with total sales up 14.1 per [...]
Salary and location beat office perks for job candidates, survey reveals February 18, 2019 If somebody were to ask you what are the most important aspects of a job description, you would probably have a good idea – a better salary, a fancier job title, and the potential for a promotion. Pretty straightforward, right? You would expect that employers would know this best of all. But almost half are [...]