Retail landlord Shaftesbury expects West End ‘revival’ as lockdown lifts February 25, 2021 West End landlord Shaftesbury this morning said occupier interest had improved after the lockdown lifting roadmap was announced, saying the easing of restrictions will herald a “revival” of the London’s theatre and shopping district. However, the FTSE 250 developer said current restrictions were continuing to have a “significant impact on economic activity and consumer spending [...]
Channel Tunnel operator Getlink sees summer bookings jump after profit tumbles February 25, 2021 Channel Tunnel operator Getlink this morning said that its earnings fell two-fifths last year as a result of travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. But chief executive Yann Leriche said that Boris Johnson’s recent announcement of an end to travel restrictions on 17 May had prompted a 200 per cent surge in bookings. The firm [...]
Brits could receive £480m payout in Qualcomm smartphone legal case February 25, 2021 Roughly 29m Brits could be entitled to a £480m payout if a landmark legal claim against US chipmaker Qualcomm is successful. Consumer group Which is suing Qualcomm over claims it breached UK competition law by taking advantage of its dominance in the patent-licensing and chipset market. The lawsuit alleges that this enabled the chipmaker to [...]
British Gas owner Centrica falls to £360m loss as warm weather and lower prices bite February 25, 2021 British Gas owner Centrica said today that it fell to a £362m statutory loss due to a combination of coronavirus, lower commodities prices, and a spell of warm weather. The loss is less than half the £783m hit the firm reported last year. It also said it would not pay out a divided for last [...]
Lender Amigo swings to a loss, cuts staff and awaits approval of compensation scheme February 25, 2021 Loans lender Amigo sees complaints skyrocket 707 per cent as it swings to a loss
Australia passes online news law after row with Facebook February 25, 2021 Australia has passed a landmark law that will force tech giants Facebook and Google to pay publishers for news content. The world-first legislation follows a bitter row with Facebook, which blocked access to news in the country in protest to the changes. Following tense negotiations the law today passed with amendments that will allow the [...]
St James’s Place bullish on prospects as profit jumps February 25, 2021 St James’s Place is targeting more than £200bn in funds under management by the end of 2025 after a surge in profit amid the market recovery. Funds under management for the year ended 31 December stood at a record £129.3bn compared with £117bn the previous year. Wealth managers have benefited from the market recovery after [...]
Wall Street tanks as tech stocks drag down market February 25, 2021 Wall Street has tanked today, with technology stocks in particularly dragging down the markets. The S&P 500 was down more than 2 per cent at one point, and retreating technology stocks dragged the Nasdaq down more than 3 per cent, as the benchmark 10-year note yields surged above 1.6 per cent to the highest in [...]
Stocking up: Booze brand Virgin Wines confirms £110m London float February 25, 2021 Alcohol subscription service Virgin Wines today confirmed plans to list on the London Stock Exchange next week in a move that will value the company at £110m. The booze business, which has been a major lockdown winner, will debut on the Aim market on 2 March. Virgin Wines said it will place 6.6m new ordinary [...]
Aston Martin careers to £320m loss as car sales fall a third February 25, 2021 Iconic sports car brand Aston Martin fell to a £322m operating loss in 2020, the firm said this morning, as coronavirus restrictions saw car sales fall a third. In line with this fall, total retail sales slipped 32 per cent, from 6,150 last year to 4,150 this year. Despite the fall in sales, however, shares [...]