Women’s Day: Female leaders speak out as Covid threatens glass ceiling March 8, 2021 As the world comes together to celebrate International Women’s Day, the fight for gender equality enters a defining era. Today is a celebration of empowerment and inspiration, but tomorrow is even more important. The recent news that all-male boards had disappeared from the FTSE 350 was a win for diversity, but the economic challenges posed [...]
Ethereum wakes up as Chinese institution hops on the crypto bus March 8, 2021 Ethereum wakes up as Chinese institution hops on the crypto bus while markets react to Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package.
Home REIT invests £48m in property portfolio expansion to house homeless people March 8, 2021 Home Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which funds the acquisition and development of accomodation for homeless people, has bought 11 property portfolios in a deal worth £48.1m. The acquisition completes the full investment of the net proceeds of the firm’s £240m public listing in October last year. Following the deal, Home REIT has added an [...]
Investors call for ‘decisive action’ on markets reform after Hill review March 8, 2021 Investors and corporates are concerned about the pipeline of IPOs this year because of the UK’s “burdensome” requirements. Just 21 per cent of investors and five per cent of corporates surveyed by Peel Hunt and the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) believe the number of listed firms will increase this year. The UK’s “burdensome listing requirements” [...]
Trustpilot aims for £1bn valuation in upcoming London IPO March 8, 2021 Consumer review service Trustpilot is aiming to bag a £1bn listing when it lists its shares in London later this month, after it secured $240m through the initial public offering. The Danish company confirmed its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange earlier this month, following $240m commitments from investors including Fidelity, Adelphi, BlackRock and [...]
Richard Branson sues train partner for £180m in Virgin brand dispute March 8, 2021 Sir Richard Branson is suing a former US partner for $250m (£180m) over its decision to drop the Virgin name from its trains due to a perceived decline in brand value. Virgin and Brightline inked a 20-year licensing deal in 2018 that allowed the American company to rebrand trains on its service as Virgin Trains [...]
The office must now sing for its supper: making the workplace about the individual, not the collective March 8, 2021 One striking feature of the pandemic has been the volume of ink spilled debating the future of the office. The huge and rapid shift to working from home for large sectors of the economy made not only individual employees but companies as well look around themselves and say, “This seems to work: should we have [...]
Chasing “financial independence retire early” (FIRE): is it possible? March 8, 2021 At what age are you planning to retire? For many the standard answer to this is “somewhere in my 60s or beyond”. Schroders analysis suggests that if you start saving for your retirement at age 20, you’ll need to save between 12% – 15% of your salary for 40 years to retire on 50% of your [...]
Footwear retailer Shoe Zone suspends dividend until 2025 March 8, 2021 Footwear retailer Shoe Zone this morning said it has suspended its dividend until it is able to pay off its £12m in debt, which it does not expect to be until 2025 at the earliest. The firm – which had been debt free for 15 years – said borrowing had rocketed during the coronavirus pandemic. [...]
Pearson maintains dividend as it unveils plans to slash office space March 8, 2021 Education giant Pearson today said it will maintain its dividend for the full year as the firm unveiled plans to “significantly” reduce its office space. The publisher proposed a final dividend of 13.5p, bringing its full-year payout to 19.5p — in line with 2019. It came as Pearson announced plans to slim down its property [...]
