Provident losses widen as doorstop unit winds-down Provident losses widen as doorstop unit winds-down Lender Provident Financial reported swelling losses today as costs ballooned for the wind-down of its doorstep lending unit.. Provident said statutory pretax loss totalled £44.2m in the six months ending 30 June, compared to £28.1m the previous year. Away from its consumer credit division (CCD) however Provident saw adjusted profit jump a hefty from £4.9m [...]
PCR test problems: Complaints soar as drop boxes overflow PCR test problems: Complaints soar as drop boxes overflow Covid PCR supplier Randox is to resolve issues with its test sample drop-off boxes as photos emerge of them overflowing and long result wait times are reported. The move comes as people posted photos online of full drop boxes in Sutton and Hampstead on the weekend. The swarms of samples are expected to increase as [...]
Record high marks given to A-level students A record high expected for A-level results day Almost half (44.8 per cent) of all A-Level grades handed out today were either A or A*, a record high in A-level history. Sixth-formers have received teacher predicted results today after exams were cancelled due to the pandemic. Concerns have been raised around inflated grades with pupils given results given by teachers for the second [...]
Wildfires put pressure on insurance premiums as blazes surge August 6, 2021 Destructive wildfires across the globe have caused insurance premiums to rise in value of claims and is set to continue as trends show wildfires are more likely to occur, according to British insurance company Chaucer. The insurance and reinsurance firm discovered US Wildfires have become an increased occurrence since the 2000s. Over the last 15 [...]
Amazon tries to cut waste after backlash from ITV investigation August 5, 2021 E-commerce giant Amazon is to reduce rubbish with two new policies following an ITV News investigation which found the company destroying millions of items of unsold stock. The largest online retailer came under fire two months ago after ITV released footage of an Amazon warehouse in Dunfermline, Scotland destroyed everything from laptops and TV’s to [...]
Test & Trace provider Serco sees profit rises 58 per cent August 5, 2021 Outsourcing company Serco Group saw a 58 per cent jump in profit following a strong first-half, the Test & Trace provider told the market this morning Revenue for the business rose to £2.2bn in the six months ending June 30, which grew 19 per cent over the last period. Underlying trading profit for the first-half [...]
Barbie doll created of Oxford Covid vaccine designer Dame Sarah Gilbert August 4, 2021 Barbie maker Mattel has created a doll in honour of Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, the scientist who designed the Oxford-Astrazeneca Covid vaccine. After a standing ovation at Wimbledon and being made a dame, Gilbert now has the Barbie doll to recognise her efforts in creating a life-saving jab. The vaccinologist said she initially found the [...]
Lyft announce first profit figure three months ahead of target August 4, 2021 Californian Uber-challenger Lyft saw shares rise six per cent on Tuesday after announcing the first time quarterly profit in the firm’s nine-year history. Three months ahead of target, the company said EBITDA profit hit $23.8m (£17.2m) in the most recent quarter as rider numbers rebound after the pandemic. Lyft has branched out in tandem with [...]
Travel chaos as Heathrow’s computer system crashes and staff forced to isolate August 3, 2021 Passengers arriving at Heathrow are being forced to queue in lines as long as a quarter of a mile due to a combination of isolating staff and the repeated failure of a new £372m computer system. An outbreak of coronavirus cases among Border Force staff meant that more than one in four of them was [...]
Travis Perkins raises full year forecast as revenue soars August 3, 2021 Home improvement firm Travis Perkins raised its 2021 forecast today following a strong first-half, introducing a special dividend of 35 pence per share. Revenue for the business rose to £2.29bn in the six months ending June 2021, up from £1.66bn in the same period last year. The Northampton-based company increased their full year expectations to [...]
