Babcock to make 10,000 ventilators as firm takes small hit from coronavirus April 6, 2020 Engineering giant Babcock has been awarded a contract by the government to manufacture 10,000 ventilators to support efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. The FTSE 100 firm, which is one of the UK military’s largest contractors, is the latest industrial giant to join manufacturing efforts as the country seeks to “ramp up” the readiness of [...]
NMC Health strives to avoid administration after being hit by creditor court action April 6, 2020 Scandal-hit NMC Health is working to avoid going into administration after being hit by a court action brought by one of its creditors. The London-listed company said today that lawyers acting for Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) filed an application on 2 April in the High Court to appoint administrators to NMC with a hearing [...]
WH Smith to tap investors for up to £150m due to coronavirus outbreak April 6, 2020 WH Smith has confirmed it is planning to tap investors for a cash injection of up to £150m to shore up its balance sheet due to the impact of coronavirus. The company said this morning that it has secured new lending facilities of £120m to strengthen its balance sheet, working capital and liquidity position, however [...]
Ladbrokes owner GVC scraps dividend but halves coronavirus profit hit April 6, 2020 Betting giant GVC has cancelled its interim dividend over coronavirus concerns, but has also halved the hit it expects to take from the global pandemic. The UK coronavirus outbreak “significantly reduced” GVC’s revenues from mid-March, the company warned today as it scrapped its second interim dividend. Instead it will conserve cash, after retail like-for-like net [...]
UK coronavirus: Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in hospital April 6, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained in hospital this morning with a high temperature after first testing positive for coronavirus 10 days ago. “The PM is still at hospital,” a government source told Reuters. “He spent the night in hospital.” Johnson was taken to hospital last night with a high temperature for additional coronavirus tests. He [...]
Oil prices slip on delayed talks but stocks rise as coronavirus cases slow April 6, 2020 Oil prices dipped on Monday after talks between Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut output were postponed, while a slowdown in coronavirus deaths and cases saw stocks jump. Brent crude fell as much as $4 overnight after Saudi Arabia and Russia delayed the negotiations, which were expected to go ahead today, to Thursday. Brent crude [...]
UK’s smaller firms cannot pay debts amid coronavirus, say accountants April 6, 2020 The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses do not have enough cash to pay debts due in the next year, research has shown, as fears rise over the resilience of British firms in the face of the coronavirus slowdown. Coronavirus containment measures have pushed businesses to close and caused a slump in demand. This has caused [...]
Coronavirus shutdown set to hit youngest workers and women hardest April 6, 2020 Sector-wide shutdowns caused by the coronavirus outbreak will have a disproportionate impact on the youngest and lowest paid workers and women, a top think tank has warned. The government-ordered lockdown has shuttered restaurants, shops and leisure facilities, while air travel has been halted and public transport reduced. But analysis published today by the Institute for [...]
UK house prices set to drop as sales plummet during pandemic April 6, 2020 UK house prices are set to fall three per cent this year as market activity grinds to a halt during the coronavirus crisis, forecasts published today revealed. House sales are expected to plunge 38 per cent year on year to 734,000 transactions assuming the current lockdown remains in place until the end of May, according [...]
Rent payments must be maintained where possible, say landlords April 6, 2020 Tenants must continue to pay their rent where possible, landlords have said, citing concerns about a lack of clarity over rent holidays. The National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) today said an increasing number of tenants believed they no longer had to pay rent due to the pandemic. But the trade body insisted residential rent should [...]
