William Hill beats profit expectations but warns of £10m hit from credit card ban February 26, 2020 William Hill managed to beat its own expectations on full year profit today after the government rolled out a £2m betting limit, but warned of a possible £10m hit from an impending credit card ban. The figures William Hill’s adjusted operating profit fell 37 per cent year on year to £147m, ahead of management guidance [...]
Hammerson’s losses widen as retail CVAs dent rents February 25, 2020 Retail landlord Hammerson today warned it will cut its 2020 dividend almost in half as losses mounted in 2019 after another tough year for retailers in which many renegotiated their rents. The figures The real estate giant sank to a £573.8m loss for its latest financial year, up from a £173.3m loss in 2018. While [...]
Japan’s Nikkei sinks after global stocks’ Covid-19 plunge February 25, 2020 Japan’s stock market plummeted overnight after a plunge in global stocks yesterday as investors reacted to a rapid spread of the Cobvid-19 strain of coronavirus outside of China. The Nikkei sank 3.3 per cent after US and European stocks suffered similar falls as Italy revealed a huge rise to 229 cases of the Covid-19 virus. [...]
Coronavirus: Brits returning from Italy told to self-isolate after Covid-19 outbreak February 25, 2020 Brits returning from northern Italy should self-isolate if they experience symptoms associated with the coronavirus outbreak, the UK’s health secretary said today. Matt Hancock advised anyone travelling back to the UK from north of Pisa to stay at home for a period of two weeks if they exhibit flu-like symptoms. It follows Italy confirming seven [...]
De La Rue reveals turnaround plan to slash £35m of costs a year February 25, 2020 Banknote printer De La Rue today revealed its plan to cut £35m in annual costs after it lost a battle to print Britain’s post-Brexit blue passports. Shares soared 20.5 per cent to 147.2p as investors welcomed the plan. The company said it has already slashed £10m in annual costs, and it will target a yearly [...]
Mirror publisher Reach looks to data as it fights back against tech giants February 24, 2020 Reach, the owner of the Daily Mirror and Daily Express, today unveiled plans to win back customer data from tech giants such as Google and Facebook as the publisher looks to expand its user base and counteract a decline in revenue. The figures Like-for-like revenue hit £702.5m, down 5.3 per cent from £723.9m a year [...]
Coronavirus: Primark owner ABF warns of long-term supply issues February 24, 2020 Primark’s owner today said it was considering ramping up production from suppliers outside of China in a bid to avoid a hit from the coronavirus outbreak. Associated British Foods (ABF) expects Primark will drive higher operating profit and sales for the six months to the end of February compared to the same period a year [...]
UK airline stocks plunge as Italy reports fourth coronavirus death February 24, 2020 UK airline stocks plummeted in early trading today as the FTSE 100 plunged two per cent after Italy reported a dramatic rise in its number of coronavirus cases. Easyjet’s share price sank 11.6 per cent while British Airways owner IAG suffered an eight per cent drop in its market cap. Tour operator Tui also shed [...]
Countrywide and LSL confirm ‘ongoing’ merger talks February 24, 2020 Estate agent Countrywide has confirmed discussions over a reported £500m merger with rival LSL are “ongoing” after news of the possible tie-up leaked over the weekend. If Countrywide and LSL do tie the knot, they could create the UK’s biggest estate agent company with numerous brands under one umbrella. Countrywide made a brief announcement today [...]
Brexit: Blue passports to return from March 2020 February 22, 2020 British passports will return to their original blue colour for the first time since 1988 from next month, when the UK government will issue the first blue passports since the Brexit vote. The first blue passports will be issued from early March and from mid-2020 all new passports issued to Brits will be blue. The [...]
