Brexit certainty helps AJ Bell boost platform assets by 27 per cent January 22, 2020 The end of the Brexit deadlock helped AJ Bell post a 27 per cent leap in its platform assets under administration (AUA), but underlying inflows for its advised platform were flat year on year at £800m. Its investment platform saw a 27 per cent jump in AUA to £47.2bn, a rise AJ Bell credited to [...]
Jess Phillips quits Labour leadership race January 21, 2020 Labour MP Jess Phillips has dropped out of the race to replace Jeremy Corbyn as party leader, saying his successor must “unite” the party. The forthright MP had secured enough nominations to take her into the second stage of the contest, but was thought unlikely to win sufficient backing from unions or local party constituencies [...]
‘Clerical error’ wipes out Dixons Carphone’s sales growth January 21, 2020 Dixons Carphone was left red-faced today as it admitted that its sales growth figure actually represented a decline. The retailer updated the stock market on its Christmas trading figures this morning, telling investors it had enjoyed a two per cent rise in reported sales. However, six hours on Dixons Carphone reversed the number into a [...]
Joules store closures hurt half-year profit after full-year warning January 21, 2020 Joules revealed a dramatic plunge in profit to just £1.7m today as it took a £6.7m hit to close stores and relocate its head office in the six months to the end of November. The figures Joules booked an 82 per cent drop in profit before tax from £9.3m this time last year to just [...]
HS2 costs could hit £106bn, leaked review warns January 20, 2020 Building HS2 could cost up to £106bn, according to a leaked government-commissioned review that reportedly outlines a 20 per cent rise in costs to the UK infrastructure project. The review into the controversial high-speed rail link project warns of “considerable risk” that costs could balloon further from HS2’s original budget of £32.7bn. The government has [...]
Fevertree shares sink 20 per cent as it warns on profit January 20, 2020 Fevertree’s shares plunged today as it warned that “subdued” Christmas trading in the UK would knock 2019 profit lower than last year’s total. The tonic maker now expects revenue growth of 9.7 per cent to £260.5m, compared to 2018’s 40 per cent growth rate. That will see sales miss expectations for 2019, leading Fevertree to [...]
Intu shares fall as it enters talks to raise more money January 20, 2020 Intu today confirmed it will seek to raise equity as it works to patch up its shaky balance sheet after a dreadful 2019 for retailers. The commercial real estate giant today insisted it was making “good progress” on improving its balance sheet, hailing a “busy” Christmas and saying footfall was 0.3 per cent up last [...]
Khamenei says Iran missile strikes were ‘slap in face’ for US January 17, 2020 Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a Friday prayers sermon today that Iran’s missile strikes on US military bases in Iraq were a “slap in the face” to the superpower. Khamanei, giving his first sermon since 2012, added that the country would not bend to pressure despite the US imposing sanctions in the [...]
Brexiters raise £150,000 for Big Ben Brexit bongs – but it could all be for nothing January 17, 2020 Brexiters have funnelled over £150,000 into a fundraising campaign to ring Big Ben to mark Brexit Day on 31 January – but the cash could not be enough, the Prime Minister has warned. The “Big Ben must bong for Brexit” campaign, set up by Stand Up 4 Brexit, is seeking to raise the £500,000 required [...]
Rare £1 Edward VIII coin sells for £1m January 17, 2020 A £1 coin featuring the Queen’s uncle Edward VIII has sold for a record £1m to a private collector in a deal brokered by the Royal Mint. The coin, one of only six produced, commemorates the ascension to the throne of Edward VIII in January 1936. He then abdicated in December that same year to [...]
