Property: ‘Best market in two decades’ but lack of stock spooks sellers September 14, 2021 The property market is in the best shape to sell in more than two decades, OnTheMarket’s boss has said, but sellers are being spooked by the lack of stock and the rapid rate at which homes are being snapped up. Some 73 per cent of UK buyers felt confident that they would purchase a property [...]
Kape and ExpressVPN agree near $1bn deal after pandemic fuels cybersecurity demand September 13, 2021 Cybersecurity firm Kape has agreed to a nearly $1bn buyout of private network operate ExpressVPN ahead of a capital rally to help fund the deal. The deal, worth around $936m (£676m), should see the enlarged group’s annual revenue climb to as much as $624m next year. Kape is set to raise some $354m through [...]
Vaccines for teens: Covid jabs for 12 to 15-year-olds given the green light September 13, 2021 Covid-19 vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds has been given the green light by the government’s chief medical officers. A single dose of the Pfizer vaccine is set to be offered to children over the age of 12 through in-school immunisation programmes as soon as next week. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty and his counterparts agreed [...]
It’s working: UK Covid vaccination programme slashes death likelihood September 13, 2021 Only 640 of the more than 51,000 people who died of Covid-19 within the first six months of this year were fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), for the months between 2 January and 2 July, has found that the UK’s immunisation programme is reducing [...]
ABF pins ‘lower than expected sales’ at Primark on summer pingdemic September 13, 2021 Sales at Primark, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods, have dipped below expectations in the last year, as Gen Z shoppers move away from fast fashion brands. In its pre-close trading update for the full year to 18 September, Associated British Foods (ABF) said: “We have seen a significant improvement in trading as the period [...]
Gradual recovery: Central London shows signs of return to the office September 13, 2021 Central London has begun to show signs of a return to the office, but the capital’s retailers and attractions are yet to reap the benefits of a complete footfall recovery. Londoners marching back to the office has seen footfall levels lift 4.2 per cent, but foot traffic as a whole has slumped 7.8 per cent [...]
Credit Suisse may bow out of leading Olam’s food London listing September 13, 2021 Credit Suisse may reportedly bow out of leading Olam’s food ingredients listing in London, after turning down a loan request. The beleaguered Swiss bank chose not to take part in loan facilities Olam raised in August, Bloomberg first reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Credit Suisse was joined by Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase & [...]
Beijing turns up heat on data holding firms, seeking to divide Ant Group’s Alipay September 13, 2021 Beijing regulators, who are acting increasingly hawkish around sensitive data firms, are reportedly seeking to break up Ant Group’s loans business Alipay to form a separate app instead. Under the proposal, Jack Ma’s Ant Group will hand over its user data to a new credit scoring joint venture with state-backed firms, the Financial Times first [...]
Over 300,000 travellers may have breached Covid-19 quarantine rules September 13, 2021 More than 300,000 travellers arriving in England or Northern Ireland may have breached mandatory quarantine rules just before the height of the Delta variant spike. Some 300,000 cases were handed to investigators between March and May this year, according to the BBC, while the government was unable to say how many cases were found to [...]
Kape and ExpressVPN agree near $1bn deal after pandemic fuels cybersecurity demand September 13, 2021 Cybersecurity firm Kape has agreed to a nearly $1bn buyout of private network operate ExpressVPN ahead of a capital rally to help fund the deal. The deal, worth around $936m (£676m), should see the enlarged group’s annual revenue climb to as much as $624m next year. Kape is set to raise some $354m through [...]