May vows to avoid hard Ireland border as she seeks changes to Brexit deal February 5, 2019 Theresa May sought to reassure Northern Irish business leaders today that she will not allow a Brexit deal to create a hard border in Ireland. Delivering a speech in Belfast, the Prime Minister said her commitment to avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is “unshakeable”. Read more: Chris Grayling: [...]
Sunrise Records rescues HMV from administration, hoping vinyl sales will rejuvenate high street music titan February 5, 2019 Canadian music magnate Doug Putman was confirmed as the successful bidder for HMV today, saving the iconic high street brand from collapse. Putman’s Sunrise Records will snap up 100 HMV stores while 1,487 store and head office staff will transfer over. Read more: Canadian vinyl mogul emerges as late bidder for HMV The chain will continue to [...]
Government reveals Brexit assurances to Nissan as car maker moves X-Trail production outside UK February 4, 2019 A potential £80m government support package for Nissan was contingent on the car manufacturer building its X-Trail car at its Sunderland plant, it emerged this afternoon. The government today published the letter from business secretary Greg Clark that convinced Nissan to keep production in the UK in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, revealing that [...]
Swiss investment bank Julius Baer targets £77m of cuts as profit growth slows February 4, 2019 Swiss bank Julius Baer launched a SFr 100m (£76.6m) cost-cutting programme today as profit growth slowed last year. The figures Switzerland’s third largest bank saw net profit for the full year 2018 grow four per cent to SFr 735m, compared to a 14 per cent growth rate in 2017, missing a Reuters poll of analyst [...]
Flybe to give investors a vote on chairman’s future as major shareholder applies pressure over Virgin bid February 4, 2019 Flybe will ask shareholders to vote on whether or not to remove its chairman as the struggling airline tries to keep a cut-price takeover on course in the face of investor pressure. The budget flyer, which is set to be taken over by a group led by Virgin Atlantic, has agreed to set a date [...]
Oddbins falls into administration for the second time in eight years February 1, 2019 Oddbins today became one of the first high street casualties of 2019, as news emerged that the off licence’s owners have fallen into administration for the second time in eight years. Administrators Duff & Phelps confirmed that the companies behind Oddbins and a string of high street alcohol stores are now insolvent. Read more: Oddbins set [...]
Paddy Power pays £101m for stake in Georgia’s biggest online betting firm February 1, 2019 Paddy Power has landed a majority stake in Georgia's biggest online gambling firm, it revealed today. Britain's gambling giant paid £101m for the controlling share, saying the purchase will give it access to burgeoning new markets. Read more: Why Brexit could lead to a wider gambling levy Adjarabet enjoys a 40 per cent market share [...]
TSB falls to £105m loss after IT disaster sparks customer exodus February 1, 2019 TSB has swung to a £105.4m loss for 2018 after its IT meltdown, it revealed today, but claimed it has emerged stronger from the experience. The bank also lost 80,000 customers compared to 50,000 the year before, it said, after the IT upgrade fiasco saw executives hauled in front of MPs before boss Paul Pester [...]
London salaries 2019: Which jobs will get you a pay rise? January 31, 2019 Talent has rarely been so in demand as it is in 2019. Against a backdrop of a record employment rate, UK wages keep going up, with pay growth hitting a post-financial crisis peak of 3.3 per cent in late 2018. Read more: Employment rate hits new record as wages grow But as a UK-wide average [...]
BT boss Gavin Patterson signs off by beating revenue and profit forecasts despite industry headwinds January 31, 2019 Outgoing BT boss Gavin Patterson signed off today by beating revenue and profit expectations in the telecom giant’s third quarter. Patterson will make way for ex-Worldpay chief executive Philip Jansen tomorrow, after BT suffered a sustained drop in its share price. Read more: BT names ex-Worldpay chief Philip Jansen as new CEO Analysts said Patterson [...]
