WPP swings from £2.2bn loss with ‘fastest organic growth for over 20 years’ February 24, 2022 WPP has swung from the eyewatering £2.2bn loss it swallowed in 2020, pulling in £1.2bn in profit last year. In what CEO Mark Read has hailed as WPP’s “fastest organic growth for over 20 years”, the technology, media and communications heavyweight has returned more than £1bn to shareholders, it said in its preliminary results today. [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? February 24, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Howard Kennedy London law firm Howard Kennedy has bolstered its contentious trusts and estates team with a new partner. Strengthening the firm’s private wealth offering, Monika Byrska joins from Thomson Snell & Passmore where she was a [...]
GSK reveals name of new consumer goods spin-off will be ‘Haleon’ February 22, 2022 Pharmaceuticals giant Glaxosmithkline (GSK) has revealed that its consumer healthcare business will be called Haleon once it is spun off.
January retail sales boosted as cost of living crisis looms February 18, 2022 January retail sales volumes lifted 1.9 per cent last month while retailers prepare for consumers to limit spending as bills soar. According to the latest retail data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), sales volumes marked the largest monthly increase since April 2021 when non-essential retailing reopened. An increase came after a four per [...]
Best of this week in our opinion pages: from community-based solutions for fighting terrorism to the Bank of England’s dilemmas February 12, 2022 As talks of a definitive lifting of Covid-19 restrictions intensify, workers are coming back to their offices in flocks, bringing liveliness back into the Square Mile. Richard Kauntze wrote about an often overlooked aspect of the City’s inner workings: the unofficial economy of gossip. The City has long thrived on whispered tittle-tattle, which plays a [...]
British American Tobacco shareholders see light at the end of the tunnel as demand picks up February 11, 2022 British American Tobacco (BAT) has started to reap the rewards of its transition into new products such as vaping, as the global tobacco industry looks to shrink 2.5 per cent this year. While total revenue slipped 0.4 per cent to £25.6bn in comparison with 2020, the tobacco giant’s revenue from new categories swelled more than [...]
As chief execs traverse the world of sustainability, they must keep investors onside February 11, 2022 Mayonnaise. The humble condiment is now at the centre of a broader debate about the purpose of business. Last month, Fundsmith’s Terry Smith argued Unilever “had lost the plot” for attempting to define the purpose of Hellman’s. While Smith’s comments on sandwich fillers grabbed headlines, the more revealing point made by Smith was that Unilever [...]
Travel stocks continue ascent as London markets post mixed open February 10, 2022 Travel stocks continued their ascent today in a positive day for London markets. The capital’s premier FTSE 100 index closed 0.38 per cent higher at 7,672.40 points, while the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, added 0.11 per cent to finish at 22,207.75 points. Airline stocks [...]
Unilever rules out any major acquisitions this year after failed £50bn GlaxoSmithKline deal February 10, 2022 Unilever said this morning the consumer giant saw a 4.5 per cent jump in sales for the past year as it was boosted by higher prices. The company, which makes products ranging from Marmite to Ben & Jerrys ice cream, said this was its fastest growth in nine years, driven by a 2.9 per cent [...]
GlaxoSmithKline revels in £8.8bn profit ahead of consumer healthcare demerger February 9, 2022 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reported full-year sales of £34bn, boosted by strong pharmaceutical sales over the past 12 months.