Plus500 launches $60.2m share buyback after jump in profits August 17, 2022 FTSE 250 fintech firm Plus500 said its profits had surged to $312.6m in the first six months of the year as it unveiled a bumper buyback programme to put excess cash back in shareholders’ pockets. Bosses said pre-tax profits had jumped to $312.6m in the six months to the end of June, up from $188.7m [...]
Pubs are vital parts of our community: they urgently need a tax cut August 16, 2022 If the pandemic taught us one thing, it’s that the City is far more than traders, brokers and bankers. It’s the teams who packed up a host of high-end kit on a Friday and parked it in front rooms in the Home Counties in time for Monday’s open; the insurers and the compliance bods who [...]
Watches of Switzerland to open new flagship London Rolex store August 16, 2022 Watches of Switzerland today set out plans to open a new 7,200 square foot flagship Rolex shop in Mayfair after posting strong results for the first half of 2022. The watch seller will relocate its Rolex Boutique from its current 900 square foot premises on Bond Street to new much larger premises down the [...]
Hospitality firms plead for energy bill support to survive ‘dire’ situation worse than pandemic August 16, 2022 A host of hospitality and small business bodies yesterday warned that many pubs, restaurants and hotels will not survive the “onslaught” of higher energy costs in the coming months. Representative bodies including UK Hospitality warned politicians that unlike domestic customers, rates are not capped for small businesses. Last week analysts at forecaster Cornwall Insight suggested [...]
Reebok owner closes in on Ted Baker deal August 15, 2022 Ted Baker is on the verge of being taken over by a US consumer goods group which owns Reebok, according to Sky News.
China economy wilts under weight of ‘zero Covid’ restrictions and soft demand August 15, 2022 Strict adherence to blunt restrictions on daily life to deal with Covid-19 outbreaks is sending a chill through the Chinese economy, a raft of data released today showed. Beijing’s blanket lockdowns across some of the country’s economic powerhouses, including Shanghai, one of the world’s top trade hubs, are weighing on output. Retail sales growth in [...]
Govt reassures commuters next year’s rail fares rise will be below inflation rate August 15, 2022 The government said this morning that next year’s increase in rail fares in England will be below the current rate of inflation. Changes in regulated fares such as season tickets are traditionally implemented on the first working day of the year and based on the previous July’s retail price index (RPI), which for 2022 will [...]
The City must once and for all leave behind its reputation for being just for work August 15, 2022 The City used to be seen as a staid place where people simply came to work before going elsewhere to have fun. The reality today is a transformed Square Mile in terms of access to retail, hospitality and culture. The next phase of this reinvention will kick off later this autumn with our a “Destination [...]
Commuter numbers into City of London nearly double with Wednesdays and Thursdays busiest August 12, 2022 Commuter numbers into the City of London have nearly doubled since last year and the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions in England, according to new data from mobile operator O2. The network said the data – which it gathered based on connections to O2 mobile masts in major commuter, hospitality and retail hubs – had found [...]
HSBC is overstating Asia demerger cost, Ping An claims August 11, 2022 Britain’s largest bank HSBC is blowing up the financial hit from carving out its Asia business to water down pressure from its biggest shareholder to demerge, sources close to the matter said. Chinese insurer Ping An claimed selling off the high street lender’s highly profitable Asia arm would unlock $35bn (£29bn) in value for shareholders [...]