Royal Mail IDS owner to return to profit as Kretinsky takes reins January 15, 2025 The owner of Royal Mail is set to return to profit just as its long drawn out sale to Daniel Kretinsky nears completion thanks to a welcome uplift in the number of parcels it delivered over Christmas. International Distribution Services (IDS) said Royal Mail’s “successful Christmas period” saw it process 188m tracked parcels, a 19 [...]
Inflation: ‘Relief’ for Reeves or a ‘temporary reprieve’? January 15, 2025 Inflation unexpectedly fell in December, but is it 'relief' for Rachel Reeves or just a 'temporary reprieve'?
Pub giants allay fears of hospitality crisis despite higher wage bills January 15, 2025 Pub giants Mitchells & Butlers and Fuller, Smith & Turner have both expressed confidence as the firms adapt to higher wage bills, in a positive sign for an industry which warned of crisis last year. Mitchells, the owner of Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One, reported like-for-like growth of 10.4 per cent over the [...]
Ahead of the Game: Hundred franchises set to choose their investors January 15, 2025 The eight Hundred franchises have been asked to name and rank at least two preferred bidders from the private investors who have submitted offers for a 49 per cent stake in the third and final round of the auction process which is currently taking place. All of the Hundred teams attracted multiple bids in the [...]
Exclusive: Brooks Macdonald makes senior layoffs January 15, 2025 Brooks Macdonald has laid off a number of senior staff, including the firm’s global head of distribution, in a bid to save costs, City AM can reveal. The redundancies from the asset manager were described by one former employee as “pretty brutal”, having occurred in the months before Christmas. The layoffs first seem to have [...]
Time to hit the jackpot at Ascot with Jonjo’s Jipcot January 14, 2025 MILLIONS are on offer this weekend. Quite literally, as Windsor (Friday and Sunday) and Ascot (Saturday) host the inaugural three-day Berkshire Winter Millions Festival with £1.2 million up for grabs. With a strong card up at Haydock as well, several horses hold multiple entries, so there are some risks with ante-post punting. First on the [...]
Why this UK stockpicker is now looking to the US January 14, 2025 A top UK stockpicker is betting on small companies listed on the London Stock Exchange that make most their cash overseas amid fears the British economy will stagnate this year. “The winners will be US or global earnings with a London listing,” said Laurence Hulse, manager of the UK small company-focused Onward Opportunities trust. The [...]
Fortnum & Mason to ‘limit price rises’ as it battles surging costs January 14, 2025 Iconic London store Fortnum & Mason has vowed to limit increasing prices in the wake of tax rises by the Labour government. The retailer, which can trace its roots back to 1707, has said the outlook for its operating costs in 2025 “remains challenging”. The company pointed to inflation, labour costs, tax increases, raw materials, [...]
Card Factory: Shares ‘should rise rapidly’ after successful Christmas January 14, 2025 Shares in Card Factory rose more than five per cent after the retailer reported festive growth ahead of the wider market. Revenue rose 4.7 per cent in November and December, driven by a higher average spend on sweets and toys. Total sales for the 1 months ended 31 December, 2024, reached £506.6m, up 6.2 per [...]
Ocado shares surge after online grocer reports record-breaking year January 14, 2025 Ocado Retail’s sales boomed in the weeks leading up to Christmas, vastly outperforming the broader market with double-digit revenue and customer growth. In a trading update issued today, the company, a 50:50 joint venture between Ocado and Marks and Spencer, reported revenue growth of 17.5 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 December. Ocado [...]