Guinness owner Diageo hikes dividend despite impact of pub closures on sales January 28, 2021 Diageo, the owner of Guinness and Smirnoff, this morning announced it will hike its dividend despite the impact of coronavirus restrictions on pub and bar sales. Reported net sales fell 4.5 per cent during the second half of the year, while operating profit declined 8.3 per cent to £2.2bn. Organic net sales increased one per [...]
Exclusive: UK’s next free trade deal set to be with Australia January 28, 2021 The UK’s next free trade deal is set to be with Australia, with the agreement to give Brits greater freedom to live Down Under and provide a major boost for the UK’s telecoms sector. The deal could be completed as soon as March, with UK residents to benefit from cheaper Australian food and wine, while [...]
Red Light: Why Streetscape decision is a speed bump to Mayor’s ambition January 28, 2021 As any local politician will tell you, how citizens get around is a fiercely important issue which can rumble for years without bursting into a crisis. For the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, however, that crisis has come, and low-level rumblings must now be addressed as a strategic problem. Last year, as lockdown and other [...]
Electric bikes are bucking the work from home trend – and are here to stay January 28, 2021 The global pandemic has transformed the way people travel for work – if they are going into the office at all – and this transformation is here to stay. In most circumstances, this means fewer miles driven, vacant public transport networks, and unfilled flights. Yet, one means of transportation is bucking this trend – the [...]
Four charts which show what happened to the car industry in 2020 January 28, 2021 Months of shuttered factories and enforced social distancing due to Covid-19 saw the fewest cars manufactured in the UK since 1984 last year. Just 920,928 models rolled off production lines in 2020, the Society for Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said today. That’s 29.3 per cent down on last year, when over 1.3m cars were [...]
UK could avoid double-dip recession after resilient November January 28, 2021 The UK economy looks likely to avoid a double-dip recession thanks to a better-than-predicted performance in November 2020, according to the EY Item Club. The economy contracted just 2.6 per cent in November, despite the impact of a month-long England-wide lockdown and other restrictions across the UK. As a result, it is expected the [...]
Apple earns $100bn in single quarter January 27, 2021 Silicon valley giant Apple has earned more than $100bn in its first quarter of 2021, making it one of just a handful of firms to ever have done so. Apple’s revenue for the quarter ended December 26 rose 21 per cent to $111.44 billion. Earnings per share rose to $1.68 from $1.25. Analysts had expected [...]
Tesla achieves first-ever $10bn quarter January 27, 2021 Tesla has posted its first-ever $10bn quarter following a successful year that saw its founder, eccentric billionaire Elon Musk, become the world’s richest person. Tesla beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter revenue after beating 2020 deliveries earlier this month on a steady rise in electric vehicle demand. The carmaker, led by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, [...]
Facebook revenue beats analyst expectations and rises to £28bn in fourth quarter January 27, 2021 Revenue at Facebook rose to $26.44bn in the fourth quarter of 2020, up some $7bn on the same time last year. Facebook beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly revenue on today, powered by increased ad spending by businesses to capitalise on a holiday shopping season driven online by the pandemic. Total revenue, which comprised primarily of [...]
GardaWorld extends G4S offer for fifth time despite deal elsewhere January 27, 2021 Canadian firm GardaWorld has extended its takeover bid for G4S, even as the British company has already accepted US-based Allied Universal’s takeover offer. Yesterday Allied Universal extended the time for G4S shareholders to accept the deal, which has been agreed upon by the two companies, to 9 February. G4S said GardaWorld’s announcement does not change [...]
