Pubs and restaurants could open in May under lockdown exit blueprint February 17, 2021 Pubs and restaurants could reportedly open for limited trading by May under a new roadmap for exiting lockdown being drawn up by government. A blueprint for lifting coronavirus restrictions would allow rules to be eased at four-weekly intervals, with a return to more normality expected by July. The gradual reopening could begin in early April, [...]
Epic Games files EU competition complaint against Apple February 17, 2021 Fortnite maker Epic Games has filed an EU antitrust complaint against Apple, ratcheting up its battle with the tech giant over app store payments. The two companies have been locked in a dispute since August, when Epic launched its own in-app payment system in a bid to sidestep Apple’s 30 per cent commission on some [...]
NBA star Chris Webber partners with asset manager to launch $100m cannabis impact fund February 17, 2021 NBA All-Star Chris Webber has partnered with JW Asset Management to launch a $100m private equity fund that will invest in companies led by entrepreneurs of colour working in the cannabis sector. The pair will collaborate to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry and provide them with resources that will help them grow [...]
London’s small-cap firms fall behind FTSE 100 on diversity targets February 17, 2021 The lack of diversity in boardrooms goes well beyond the FTSE 100 with new research showing just how little progress small-cap firms have made. A staggering 84 per cent of AIM and 78 per cent of Small Cap 100 companies have all white boards, over double the proportion seen in the FTSE 100. Some progress [...]
Ahold Delhaize reports fruitful end of year sales with online boost February 17, 2021 Supermarket giant Ahold Delhaize has reported better than expected fourth quarter sales, driven by a surge of online orders due to Covid-19. Ahold said its sales rose 18 per cent to €19.6bn, topping the €18.5bn seen in a company-compiled consensus. Underlying operating income in the period was €811m, also beating a consensus forecast of €771m. [...]
FTSE 100 dips as UK inflation records surprise jump February 17, 2021 The FTSE 100 opened down this morning as the latest data showed UK inflation rose more than expected last month. The blue chip index suffered a 0.46 per cent dip this morning following the surprise 0.7 per cent jump in inflation. The biggest fallers were consumer goods giants Reckitt Benckiser, with a 1.56 per cent [...]
Signature Aviation sells engine repairs business for $230m February 17, 2021 Flight services company Signature Aviation has sold its engine repairs business for $230m, the firm announced on Wednesday. US-based maintenance and repairs provider StandardAero will purchase the division. Signature Aviation had been looking to offload ERO since it was first put up for sale in 2018. The deal comes at a time when the airline [...]
Champions League highlights to be screened on London advertising billboards February 17, 2021 Londoners will be able to enjoy highlights from UEFA Champions League matches on digital advertising billboards thanks to a new tie-up between Ocean Outdoor and BT Sport. The deal will see Ocean, which operates major advertising sites including Piccadilly Lights, screen next-day match clips from the last 16 fixtures of the tournament through to the [...]
Rio Tinto to pay record $6.5bn dividend after ‘robust’ year February 17, 2021 Rio Tinto will pay out a record $6.5bn (£4.7bn) dividend to investors as it hailed “robust” results despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The FTSE-listed mining giant said it will pay a final dividend of $3.09 per share and a special dividend of $0.93 per share. Combined with its half-year dividend, this takes the total payout for [...]
Tobacco giant Imperial Brands hires new finance chief February 17, 2021 Imperial Brands has appointed a new finance chief, with the current CFO set to step down after seven years with the tobacco firm. The company said this morning that Lukas Paravicini, currently chief financial officer of agricultural commodities group ED&F Man Holdings, will join the board from 5 August or earlier. Paravicini – who will [...]
