Rhyme or treason: Chinese tech giant Meituan’s boss in hot water over ancient poem May 11, 2021 Shares in Chinese tech giant Meituan have dropped sharply after its chief executive posted an ancient poem on social media that was interpreted as a veiled criticism of President Xi Jinping. Wang Xing, the billionaire boss of the food delivery app, posted The Book Burning Pit by Zhang Jie on a Chinese social media platform [...]
Coca Cola: ‘Optimism ahead’ for soft drink giant’s Europe business May 11, 2021 Coca Cola said there is “optimism ahead” for its businesses in Europe, Australia and New Zealand as the coronavirus conditions begin to improve across the regions. In the first quarter total revenue fell four per cent to €3,09bn, dragged down by a 7.5 per cent dip in European sales, which dropped to €2.29bn. However, the [...]
UK Government sell shares of bailed-out NatWest for £1.1bn as stake shrinks to 55 per cent May 11, 2021 UK Government sell shares of bailed-out NatWest for £1.1bn as stake shrinks to 55 per cent
SSE and Equinor to build Scotland’s first carbon capture power station May 11, 2021 Energy heavyweights SSE and Equinor have tabled plans to build Scotland’s first power station using carbon capture technology, in a step towards a low carbon future. If repurposed, the gas-fired unit at Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, could catch up to 1.5m tonnes of carbon dioxide from its emissions each year. The plans are still dependant on securing [...]
Air Partner profits soar as PPE shipping drives record year May 11, 2021 Aviation group Air Partner today reported a record year of growth, driven by its ferrying of PPE during the pandemic. Air Partner saw underlying pre-tax profit soar by 176 per cent to £11.6m throughout the year ended 31 January 2021. Gross profit was also up by more than 31 per cent to £44.9m, while statutory [...]
Angling Direct reels in bumper results as pandemic fuels fishing frenzy May 11, 2021 Angling Direct today reported a sharp increase in revenue for the full year after Brits flocked to fishing during coronavirus lockdowns. The specialist fishing tackle and equipment retailer posted revenue of £67.6m in the year to the end of January, up more than 27 per cent on the previous 12 months. The Aim-listed firm also [...]
Joules expects to beat profit and sales forecasts after PM confirms further lockdown lifting May 11, 2021 Fashion retailer Joules this morning said it expects to beat profit and revenue forecasts for this year following the confirmation that coronavirus restrictions will ease further next week. The brand said revenue and profit before tax before exceptional items will come in higher than the current analyst consensus of £187m and £4.1m respectively. It said [...]
Ministers demand compensation from Hitachi over rail chaos May 11, 2021 The government is demanding that Hitachi coughs up a multi-million-pound passenger compensation bill after safety concerns over its trains sparked travel chaos across the UK. More than 180 high-speed Hitachi trains were taken out of service on Saturday after cracks were discovered during routine safety checks. Passengers faced a third day of disruption yesterday after [...]
Heathrow calls for green list expansion as passenger numbers sink by 92 per cent May 11, 2021 Heathrow Airport has called for an expansion to the travel green list in the next government review in three weeks’ time, including the United States, to boost trade and reunite friends and family. The number of passengers passing through Heathrow Airport was down by 92.1 per cent in April, compared to pre-pandemic figures. After the [...]
Steering clear of the cliff edge: Why it makes business sense for sport to put the human first May 11, 2021 We’ve seen a seismic shift in attitudes around athlete welfare but the sentiment ‘it’s only what happens on the pitch that counts’, albeit largely unspoken, is sadly still common in professional sport. With the global sports market expected to reach $600bn by 2025, there is no doubt about the pressure clubs are facing to deliver [...]
