Direct Line shares crash as winter cold snap and inflation leave its results ‘as ugly as they can be’ March 13, 2023 Direct Line today posted a £45m loss for the year 2022 as the insurer suffered a hit from soaring inflation, extreme weather, and market volatility, in what analysts described as one of the “worst years” in the Bromley firm’s history. Shares in Direct Line fell by 5.79 per cent on the news, as the insurer [...]
CANNES-DO SPIRIT: London councils head to MIPIM to pitch for sustainable investment March 13, 2023 London councillors are jetting off to the French Riviera in the search of sustainable investors willing to pump eco-friendly funds into the capital. A flurry of prominent London property figures are set to attend MIPIM, the enormous property conference which takes place in Cannes this week, in a bid to entice major foreign investors to [...]
Amanda Blanc on Desert Island Discs: Aviva chief speaks out against misogyny March 12, 2023 Aviva chief executive Amanda Blanc has spoken out on the iconic BBC show Desert Island Discs about the misogyny she experienced as chair of the Welsh Rugby Union and at her FTSE 100 firm’s AGM last year. At the shareholder meeting ast year Blanc said that she was the target of a number of sexist [...]
Issa Brothers mull sale of Asda properties as debt rises March 12, 2023 Asda has launched a £8.6bn review of its property estate as the billionaire brothers behind the business scramble for options to reduce its debt pile, according to reports. According to reports in The Telegraph, owners Mohsin and Zuber Issa backed by private equity backers TDR Capital, are targeting the sale and leaseback of Asda’s supermarket [...]
Thames Water drafts in advisors to tackle £14bn debt pile March 12, 2023 Thames Water has been forced to draft in advisors to evaluate its financial situation, amid growing concerns that the group will not be able to fix its £14bn debt mountain. According to reports in Sky News, the UK’s biggest water supplier has drafted in investment bankers from Rothschild, and the law firm Slaughter & May to [...]
Hammerson: Shopping centre champ fails to reassure investors on retail outlook as shares fall March 9, 2023 Shopping centre giant Hammerson has failed to reassure investors on the outlook for retail, with shares dropping 11 per cent after the firm said its portfolio value had fallen. The group, which owns Brent Cross shopping centre, increased its adjusted earnings by 60 per cent for the year to hit £105m, up from £66m the [...]
DS Smith share price drops as box maker notes ‘market weakness’ March 9, 2023 Box maker DS Smith has said it is continuing to trade in line with profit expectations despite seeing lower corrugated box volumes. The London-based group, which supplies packaging and paper products to the likes of Amazon and Brewdog, said that volume sales were lower in the third quarter due to “market weakness”, with businesses de-stocking [...]
Tesco on hunt for a ‘heavyweight’ boardroom figure as it swoops to replace John Allan March 9, 2023 Tesco is understood to have approached a number of “heavyweight” boardroom figures, to scope out their interests in replacing outspoken chairman John Allan. According to reports in Sky News, the FTSE 100 supermarket is working with headhunters to find a replacement for the leader who is set to leave the grocer in 2024. Allan, has [...]
Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain braces itself for regulation and take over speculation despite World Cup profit boost March 9, 2023 Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain has forecast regulatory headwinds as it revealed a 13 per cent rise in profits driven by punters betting during the Qatar World Cup. Entain posted profits of £993.2m up 13 per cent from £881.7m in the same period last year. As the group continues its expansion in the US market [...]
John Lewis comes under fire for lack of affordable housing in first build-to-rent scheme March 8, 2023 John Lewis has faced pushback over its first build-to-rent development after the leader of Ealing council accused the firm of “bullying” and raised concerns about the lack of affordable homes for locals in the area. Peter Mason, leader of Ealing council, took to Twitter to slam the retail group about the possibility of it not [...]
