Disney hikes prices of its streaming services as profit booms August 7, 2024 Disney beat expectations in its third quarter revenue and earnings, swinging back from heavy losses as it hiked its streaming services prices. Pre-tax profit soared to $3.1bn (£2.4bn) in the third quarter, up from losses of $134m (£105m) the previous year. The company’s streaming business turned profitable for the first time, buoyed by the success [...]
FCA joins Bank of England in relocating jobs from London to Leeds August 7, 2024 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has revealed plans to relocate 100 jobs from London to Leeds, just months after the Bank of England announced a similar move. The watchdog, which established its first office in Leeds two years ago, is growing its team at the digital delivery centre on Queen Street, where around 100 employees [...]
Businesses urge Starmer and Reeves to put NHS and absenteeism top of ‘policy wishlist’ August 7, 2024 Business leaders have stressed their top priority for the Labour government is to focus on strengthening the NHS, a survey of bosses has found.
Flight to quality gets underway as half of London offices set to be ‘unlettable’ by 2027 August 7, 2024 Changes to energy efficiency requirements mean that a majority of office spaces in the capital won’t meet the minimum standard for leasing within the next four years, making it a race to re-fit before 2027. Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) currently require that rented commercial properties in England and Wales have a minimum EPC rating [...]
GB Bank: Property finance specialist moves headquarters to London amid rapid expansion August 7, 2024 Property finance specialist GB Bank is moving its headquarters from Middlesborough to London in a bid to grow its presence in the capital and South East.
UK riots: Sadiq Khan warns violent disorder ‘will not be tolerated’ in London August 7, 2024 Sadiq Khan has warned would-be rioters that “violence and disorder on the streets of London will not be tolerated” as he issued a call for calm.
H2O Asset Management to pay investors £215m to avoid ‘substantial’ FCA fine August 7, 2024 H2O Asset Management will pay €250m (£215m) to clients who have been unable since 2020 to access investments then worth around €1.6bn (£1.4bn) to avoid a “substantial” fine from UK regulators. Following talks with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the watchdog has agreed H2O will make the sum available to all those whose investments remain trapped. The French firm will apply to cancel its [...]
UK economy’s recovery from pandemic stronger than first thought August 7, 2024 The UK economy recovered from the pandemic faster than had previously been thought, new revisions from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. In the latest set of Blue Book revisions, the ONS upgraded their estimate for GDP growth in 2022 from 4.3 per cent to 4.8 per cent. This upgrade was a “little larger” [...]
Coca-Cola HBC raises guidance after strong half despite currency headwinds August 7, 2024 Coca-Cola HBC AG has raised its guidance after the company reported another strong six months of growth, despite currency headwinds eating into the group’s profits in emerging markets. The bottling giant behind Coca Cola and other major soft drinks reported revenue growth of 3.1 per cent in the six months to 24 June. Sales of [...]
Hiscox: Lloyd’s of London insurer reports ‘robust growth’ despite a more ‘active loss environment’ August 7, 2024 Hiscox, the Lloyd’s of London insurer, has reported another set of strong results as the company has continued to benefit from a hard insurance market. In its interim results for the six months to 30th June, the company recorded 3.3 per cent growth in insurance contract written premium (ICWP). The figure rose $89.6m (£70.5m) to [...]