Debenhams in talks with Aviva to offload executive pensions January 12, 2020 Struggling retailer Debenhams is in talks with Aviva about the insurer buying out its executive pension scheme, which holds more than £200m assets. Debenhams is closing in on the deal as it shutters dozens of its department stores around the country, Sky News reported. It would guarantee that members of the executive pension scheme enjoy [...]
Burford Capital shares rise after US lawsuit against it is dropped January 7, 2020 Litigation funder Burford Capital’s share rose this morning after it said a US lawsuit against it had been dropped. Burford’s shares plunged over the summer after it was targeted by shortseller Muddy Waters which questioned its governance and accounting standards. Today, Burford said a securities lawsuit filed in August following its share price drop had [...]
Sports technology in 2020: the key trends to watch this year January 6, 2020 Drama is the currency of sport but if current trends continue in 2020, below-the-radar work will be the stuff really making the hard yards. Last year, forward-thinking organisations have been focused on leveraging newer media platforms better and tailoring engagement better, often with a social slant. Two stand-out performers were AS Roma, which used the [...]
The Big Sport Quiz of 2019: How much do you remember from a vintage year of sport? December 19, 2019 World Cups of cricket, rugby union, netball and women’s football. The end of Tiger Woods’s long wait for another Major. An epic men’s Wimbledon final. More success for Lewis Hamilton. Liverpool’s re-emergence as a football superpower. The return of Andy Murray. This has been a vintage sporting year all right. But how closely were you [...]
Trellis tower: London’s second-tallest skyscraper gets green light after planning battle November 25, 2019 Plans to build London’s second-tallest skyscraper, the Trellis, have been given the nod after a three-year planning war. The tower, whose real name is 1 Undershaft, will be 1,000 feet tall when completed, standing just 17 feet shorter than the Shard. Read more: Was Sadiq Khan right to reject plans for the Tulip tower? After [...]
FTSE 100 falls one per cent after Donald Trump trade comments November 20, 2019 European stock markets have fallen today following President Donald Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on Chinese goods if no deal can be reached between the two sides, with the FTSE 100 leading the bunch downwards. The FTSE 100 was down 1.09 per cent by 12.45pm UK time. In Germany, the Dax index was 0.70 per [...]
Why take-up of shared parental leave is so dismally low — and the solution November 20, 2019 When the government introduced shared parental leave back in 2015, the idea was to encourage more fathers to stay home to care for their young children so that new mothers could go back to work if they want to. It was hoped that this in turn would go some way to closing the gender pay [...]
Investors underwhelmed by Aviva’s restructuring plans November 20, 2019 Shares in Aviva slipped on Wednesday after the insurer announced plans to restructure its business and sell off its Hong Kong division in a bid to revive investor interest in the group. The insurance company will simplify its business structure into five operating divisions and sell its stake in Hong Kong business, called Blue, to co-investor [...]
The Investor Forum pushes Aviva to shake-up strategy November 19, 2019 A group of institutional investors has pushed insurer Aviva to overhaul its strategy ahead of an investor meeting tomorrow. The Investor Forum, whose members manage assets worth about £21 trillion, has urged Aviva to produce a credible long-term plan to increase its value, Sky News reported. The Forum wrote to Aviva over the last few [...]
Aviva shares fall as it denies reports it is selling its Singapore and China businesses November 18, 2019 Shares in insurer Aviva fell 4.5 per cent today after it said it was not planning on selling its business in Singapore or exiting its joint venture in China. Aviva made the announcement in response to reports it was mulling a disposal of the two businesses. Read more: Aviva CFO to leave in latest leadership [...]