Global corporate profits expected to fall eight per cent after record quarter August 25, 2021 Global corporate profits are set to fall for the first time in 18 months after a record second quarter, as a rise in the Delta variant has increased labour costs while squeezing supply chains, according to calculations by Reuters. Although huge stimulus packages helped to underpin economic recoveries while the easing of pandemic restrictions resulted [...]
Clipper Logistics revenue up thanks to lockdown shopping returns August 25, 2021 Retail logistics firm Clipper has reported group revenue up by 39.1 per cent as e-commerce sales continue to grow. The Leeds-based company reported group revenue up from from £500.7m to £696.2m, in its results for the year ended 30 April 2021. The firm acquired new contracts in the period including with Revolution Beauty, H&M and [...]
Exclusive: Almost half of London SMEs planning to hire this year August 24, 2021 Just under half (42 per cent) of London SMEs plan to hire in the next 12 months. This is more than anywhere else in the country bar the North West (54 per cent), according to Barclaycard research. Firms are looking forward to a sales boost this weekend with one in 10 London businesses (11 per [...]
Retail sales soar at fastest pace in nearly seven years August 24, 2021 Retail sales in the UK surged at their fastest pace in nearly seven years this month highlighting that the wave of consumer spending unleashed since the initial Covid unlocking still has legs, according to fresh figures released today. New data from the Confederation of British Industry shows retail sales swung to their highest growth rate [...]
Boots launches Deliveroo partnership from today August 24, 2021 Boots has announced it is exclusively partnering with Deliveroo to provide health and beauty products to consumers’ doors. The partnership will launch at 14 pilot stores across the country including in Edinburgh, London and Nottingham. Sales on the retailer’s website were up 85 per cent between 1 March 2020 and 1 March 2021 compared to [...]
JD.com revenue jumps as pandemic boosts online shopping August 23, 2021 Chinese retailer JD.com has beaten expectations for second-quarter sales as the pandemic continues to drive up demand for online shopping. The tech giant reported a 26 per cent rise in net revenue to 253.8bn yuan (£28.6bn) in the three months to the end of June, beating analyst consensus of 249.27bn yuan. Sales in its product [...]
Workers of the world unite! How the post-pandemic recovery is increasing the bargaining power of labour August 23, 2021 More than 114 million people lost their jobs over 2020, according to the International Labor Organization. Even more saw their working hours and wages cut. The worst affected industries were accommodation and food services where global employment declined by over 20%, followed by retail. These sectors were particularly hard hit by lockdowns, forced closures and plummeting tourism. Women and younger workers were badly affected. You could be [...]
Ocean Outdoor lands £30m Canary Wharf advertising contract August 23, 2021 Advertising group Ocean Outdoor has secured a lucrative contract to operate out-of-home media services for Canary Wharf Group. London-listed Ocean has renewed its deal to run digital screens and billboards in the financial hub, landing a new long-term contract worth £30m. The agreement means the company will retain exclusive rights to sell 40 full-motion digital [...]
Morrisons’ messy and dramatic takeover battle: Where are we now? August 20, 2021 Morrisons agreed a £7bn offer late last night in the latest twist in the UK supermarket chain’s dramatic takeover battle. Shares jumped this morning after investors digested the new deal from US private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). It comes weeks after a rival bidder, a consortium led by private equity rival Fortress, [...]
US markets shake off Delta variant jitters as investors seek to end volatile week on a high August 20, 2021 Wall Street shook off concerns that the rapidly spreading Delta variant of Covid could halt the global economic recovery from the crisis to end the week on a high. The blue-chip S&P 500 jumped 0.69 per cent to 4,436.26 points during early trading, while the Dow Jones added 0.5 per cent to 35,06776 points. The [...]