Ocado to make $300m in acquisitions as digital grocer bumps forecasts November 2, 2020 Digital grocer Ocado has announced two acquisitions worth nearly $300m (£232m) and bumped up its full year earnings forecast, it announced this morning. The retail darling said that it had continued to see strong sales growth during the third quarter as people stuck to digital shopping amid to the coronavirus pandemic. Shares in Ocado rose [...]
Watchdog extends loan payment holidays ahead of second lockdown November 2, 2020 The UK’s financial watchdog will extend payment holidays on credit cards, car finance, personal loans and pawnbroking ahead of a second coronavirus lockdown in England. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that consumers who had not yet had a payment deferral under guidance issued in July would be able to request a payment holiday lasting [...]
Rishi Sunak: Financial support for self-employed people to increase November 2, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak this morning said that self-employed people would be given extra support due to the onset of a new national lockdown. Speaking to the BBC, he said that the cap on current grant of 40 per cent of trading profits would be increased. The grant is paid out in a single instalment covering [...]
Eurozone manufacturing sector’s recovery continues despite restrictions November 2, 2020 The Eurozone manufacturing sector’s rapid expansion continued in October, driven by a boom in demand for German goods as economies reopened, a survey has shown. However, the manufacturing growth comes against a backdrop of a slowdown in the services sector as coronavirus cases rise and governments impose new restrictions. The IHS Markit manufacturing purchasing managers’ [...]
CBI deputy: A no-deal Brexit on top of coronavirus is ‘very, very worrying’ November 2, 2020 For a while in the summer it looked as though the CBI’s annual conference – a highlight of the business calendar which kicks off today – could be celebrating an economy on its way back to health. But a surge in coronavirus restrictions and new lockdowns across the country mean it is likely to be [...]
Nigel Farage to relaunch Brexit Party as anti-lockdown Reform UK November 2, 2020 Nigel Farage is set to relaunch the Brexit Party as a new anti-lockdown party called Reform UK as he rails against the government’s “woeful” response to the coronavirus crisis. The party, which was launched 21 months ago to put pressure on the government’s Brexit strategy, has applied to the Electoral Commission to change its name. [...]
Ryanair dives to €200m loss as coronavirus decimates passenger numbers November 2, 2020 Ryanair crashed to a €197m (£177.8m) loss in the first half of the year as the budget carrier flew just 17m due to the coronavirus pandemic. From the start of lockdown in March to the end of June, 99 per cent of the Irish airline’s planes were grounded amid stringent travel bans and health concerns. [...]
Software firm The Bytes Group unveils plans for London stock market float November 2, 2020 Software firm The Bytes Group today unveiled plans for an initial public offering after posting a rise in revenue and profit thanks to the shift in home working. The planned float would see the firm demerge from its South African parent company Altron and pursue a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a [...]
GVC warns that new lockdown could cost it £43m November 2, 2020 Gambling giant GVC has warned that it will lose £43m if all of its betting shops have to close due to the new coronavirus lockdown. The Ladbrokes and Coral owner said that its forecasts took into account new government support schemes. Under the new restrictions announced on Saturday, GVC will have to close all its [...]
Hiscox sets aside $75m for catastrophe claims as gross premiums grow November 2, 2020 Insurance firm Hiscox said that it had set aside $75m (£58.1m) for natural disasters claims in the third quarter as gross written premiums grew in the first nine months of the year. In a trading statement this morning, the FTSE 250 firm revealed the decision to set aside the money after another autumn of dramatic [...]
