Nokia growth knocked by losing part of Verizon 5G contract February 4, 2021 Growth at Nokia has been impacted by the firm losing part of the Verizon 5G contract in the United States to Samsung. Nokia’s new CEO Pekka Lundmark said in October that Nokia would do “whatever it takes” to take the lead in 5G. While both Nokia and its Nordic rival Ericsson have been gaining 5G customers [...]
Kaz Minerals owner tables £3.7bn bid to take miner private February 4, 2021 Kaz Minerals has this morning received an increased £3.7bn offer from Nova Resources after an earlier bid was rejected. Nova, which is led by Kaz chairman Oleg Novachuk, first made a 640p per share offer for the London-listed miner back in October. However, due to a rise in global copper prices, the firm’s shares have [...]
Retail park footfall boosted by lockdown fatigue and ‘leisure-based’ trips February 4, 2021 Shoppers flocked to retail parks last month in bigger numbers than were recorded during the first national lockdown, as fatigue with restrictions has set in, according to the latest research. Footfall at retail parks was down 42.1 per cent in January, compared to the 68.1 per cent drop reported in April, as consumers visited for [...]
Equity funds take a thrashing on resurgent Covid fears February 4, 2021 Not even the success of the vaccine rollout could take away the January blues for equity funds last month. Inflows reached a five year high in the fourth quarter at £2.4bn buoyed by the vaccine rollout, but the euphoria hasn’t lasted long. Net inflows fell by 97.5 per cent month-on-month to just £64.6m according to [...]
Calls to ‘send Philip Green the bill,’ as pension lifeboat fund begins Topshop assessment February 4, 2021 There have been fresh calls for the government to step in and demand retail tycoon Philip Green to plug Arcadia’s pension deficit, as the pensions lifeboat fund begins assessing the scheme. Earlier this week online retailer Asos said it had bought Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands from Arcadia, which fell into administration in [...]
Unilever restores confidence as sales jump 3.5 per cent February 4, 2021 Consumer goods giant Unilever today reported underlying sales growth for the fourth quarter, buoyed by strong demand in emerging markets. Sales rose 3.5 per cent for the owner of Persil, Dove and Marmite, meeting analyst predictions. For the full year, sales grew by 1.9 per cent but turnover and underlying profit dropped 2.4 per cent [...]
The financial case for Scottish separatism doesn’t bear real scrutiny February 4, 2021 The story goes that in 1787, as Russian Empress Catherine the Great travelled in the Crimea, her minister Grigory Potemkin erected fake portable villages along her route as a façade to hide deep-seated poverty in the region. The Potemkin Villages, as they became known, were the means by which the gilded monarch was persuaded that [...]
Offices will reinvent themselves to play host to the capital’s social capital February 4, 2021 When Mark Twain’s obituary was prematurely published by an American newspaper, he responded with the now iconic assurance that “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Over a century later, the same could be said of the capital’s offices. For much of the past year, a growing Niagara of newspaper articles have speculated about [...]
New Square Mile rapid testing site for workers without COVID-19 symptoms February 4, 2021 The City of London Corporation is calling on workers who do not have Coronavirus symptoms to get regular lateral flow tests to help prevent the spread of the virus to family, friends and colleagues. One in three people with Coronavirus do not have symptoms and could be passing on the virus without knowing. That is [...]
Almost half of UK exporters hurt by Brexit, says new survey February 4, 2021 Almost half of Britain’s exporters have been negatively affected by the end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January, according to a new survey. The YouGov/HSBC poll found that 42 per cent of exporters said the UK’s exit from the EU’s single market and customs union on 31 December had a “negative impact” on [...]
