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 [...]
Paypal profit surges as it cashes in on online shopping boom February 3, 2021 Paypal posted a surge in profit in the fourth quarter as the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a sharp rise in online shopping. The payments processor posted net profit of $1.6bn (£1.2bn) for the last three months of 2020, up 209 per cent on the same period the year before. It came on revenue of $6.1bn, which [...]
Wall Street rallies on strong tech earnings as FTSE 100 slips February 3, 2021 Wall Street pushed higher today on the back of strong tech earnings, but the FTSE 100 closed in the red after early losses were reserved. The Dow Jones was up 0.26 per cent shortly before markets closed, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq rose 0.28 per cent and 0.18 per cent respectively. It marked the [...]
Covid-19: Global vaccination tally passes confirmed cases February 3, 2021 The number of global Covid-19 vaccinations has surpassed the tally of confirmed cases for the first time, marking a landmark moment in efforts to fight the virus. The total number of jabs administered reached 104m today, while the number of confirmed cases was just over 103m, according to the Financial Times vaccine tracker. With lockdown [...]
Cambridge cannabis pharma GW sold to US rival in landmark $7bn deal February 3, 2021 Cambridge cannabis pharma GW sold to US rival in landmark $7bn deal
