Prices rising fast: Brits face acute egg shortage as spiralling hen food costs and energy bills lead to mass exodus of farmers April 20, 2022 UK customers could face empty shelves as an exodus of British egg farmers is caused by a lack of support from supermarkets amid spiralling costs, industry players warned today. Farmers have previously called on supermarkets to increase their egg prices due to soaring feed and energy costs in the production process. However, the industry has [...]
Driving seat: Uber picks up former British Airways exec as UK lead April 19, 2022 A former Aviva and British Airways executive has been selected to take a role in the driving seat of Uber's UK division.
Asda buyer TDR Capital marks 20-fold return on supermarket takeover with £1.4bn stake April 19, 2022 One of Asda’s owners has valued its stake in the supermarket at almost 20 times the sum it paid in a blockbuster takeover last year. According to The Financial Times, private equity firm TDR Capital informed investors it has placed its stake at 19.8 times the orginial investment in the grocer. The US firm, alongside [...]
Fortress and TDR Capital among potential future bidders for £600m holiday chain Butlins April 13, 2022 Seaside resort chain Butlins could be subject to a fierce bidding war with Sky News reporting that some big names in leisure are mulling takeover bids. According to the news organisation, suitors looking at snapping up Butlins include Fortress Investment Group, the owner of Punch Taverns. Another high-profile bid could be launched by TDR Capital, [...]
Morrisons slapped with ‘speculative’ rating after takeover leaves chain saddled with debt April 12, 2022 Morrisons has been slapped with a ‘speculative’ rating by a top credit agency after the private equity takeover of the chain last year left it saddled with debt.
Walgreens faces losing billions on Boots sale as former suitors CVC and Bain suggest lower price tag April 11, 2022 The US pharmacy giant behind Boots could lose out on billions after the chemist was valued much lower than initially hoped. Walgreens has been eyeing a £7bn sale of the UK company, however a consortium involving private equity firms CVC and Bain withdrew from takeover talks in March. According to The Telegraph, the two former [...]
Asda chair hammers government for ‘tin eared’ response to cost of living crisis April 3, 2022 The government has delivered a “tin-eared and slow” response to the UK’s cost of living crisis, according to the chair of Asda. Tory peer Lord Stuart Rose said chancellor Rishi Sunak should put together a new package to ease the pain of soaring costs for households, adding that “the main problem that the government has [...]
Egg farmers: Supermarkets must raise prices by 40p to avert sector crisis March 31, 2022 Egg farmers have called on supermarkets to up the price of a dozen eggs by 40p as producers face cost pressures. Many free range egg farmers are bleeding cash on every egg laid by one of their hens, according to the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA). Shoppers in the UK were unable to [...]
Walgreens: Profit hit after sales dip at US pharmacies while Boots enjoys sales rebound March 31, 2022 Walgreens Boots Alliance has taken a dent to its quarterly profit while its UK drugstores have enjoyed a sales bounce back. Drugstore chain Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc WBA.O reported a 13.9 per cent drop in quarterly profit after a decline in sales at its AllianceRX Walgreens business. It said US pharmacy sales fell 3.3 per [...]
The City View: Consumers borrowing more, and Victoria Scholar on $15bn Barclays blunder March 29, 2022 Today Andy Silvester chats to Interactive Investor’s Victoria Scholar. They go through Barclays’ rough start to the week after an unknown investor sold over £900m worth of shares in the bank following its $15bn securities blunder; Waitrose’s legal row with ASDA, and consumers turning to discount retailers amid the cost-of-living crisis; and Tesla’s stock split. [...]