Boots cuts 220 photo labs putting 400 jobs at risk March 1, 2017 Boots has announced it is closing 220 of its photo labs across the UK, including five in London, as weak demand for photo film services finally takes its toll. The closure of the in-store labs will put 400 jobs at risk, although a Boots spokesperson said the company would try to offer retraining and opportunities [...]
The government’s tapping up Lloyds, Barclays and Google for digital skills March 1, 2017 The government is turning to private business, including Lloyds, Barclays and Google, to help the UK become skilled for the modern age with ambitious new plans. It has announced partnerships with the well known institutions to offer training in digital across the UK, to push forward the country's march towards a digital economy, putting these skills on a par with literacy [...]
Derwent London’s shares rise on new lettings and special dividend February 28, 2017 Office developer Derwent London's share price climbed this morning after it lifted its final dividend by 25 per cent and also announced a special dividend. The figures In its results for the year ending 31 December, Derwent posted a net rental income growth of 5.2 per cent, up from £138.7m in 2015 to £145.9m last year. The [...]
Meggitt’s share price rockets as profit beats expectations and Trump promises more defence spending February 28, 2017 Shares in Meggitt rose more than 11 per cent this morning after the aerospace and defence firm beat forecasts and investors cheer on Donald Trump's plan to pump up defence spending. The figures The firm's reported revenue increased 21 per cent to £1.99bn in the year to 31 December 2016, helped by foreign currency movements, while underlying [...]
St James’s Place boss David Bellamy is stepping down after 26 years at the wealth manager February 28, 2017 David Bellamy is stepping down from the board at St James's Place, it was announced today. He will be succeeded by chief financial officer Andrew Croft, while chief risk officer Craig Gentle joins the board as chief financial officer. The news sent shares down seven per cent in early trading to 1,021p. Bellamy became chief [...]
The Bank of England has admitted to a Michael Fish moment – but economists have plenty to learn from weather forecasters February 27, 2017 So British economists are like the nation's most notorious weatherman when it comes to Brexit? That's what the Bank of England (BoE) has reasserted before the Commons Treasury Select Committee. The nation's number crunchers, said BoE chief economist Andy Haldane, mostly thought Britain's economy would crumble and growth would go into reverse following a Yes vote in last year's EU referendum. [...]
LSE-Deutsche Boerse merger thrown into chaos: Reactions from City analysts and Westminster February 27, 2017 Last night's announcement that the mega-merger between the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Deutsche Boerse may have been derailed entirely by competition concerns in Europe has left the City reeling. The £21bn merger, which had overcome the potentially devastating hurdle of Brexit without so much as a shrug, was thrown into chaos last night after it [...]
Focus On Paddington: With Crossrail, a £775m glass cube and new homes, W2 is about to become one of London’s next property hotspots February 24, 2017 Believe it or not, Paddington, synonymous for so long with its eponymous cartoon bear and its fantastic transport links, is one of the most undervalued places in Prime Central London. Within walking distance to Hyde Park, Oxford Circus and smart neighbourhoods like Mayfair and Knightsbridge, it’s nevertheless not traditionally seen as a great residential location. [...]
These are the UK banks with the happiest and saddest customers February 23, 2017 TSB has the happiest customers of the UK's high street banks, according to new research based on tweets. Emotion analytics company Adoreboard looked at more than 67,000 tweets by bank customers over a six-month period, and used mathematical algorithms to detect emotions such as joy, trust, rage and anger expressed by social media users. Unsurprisingly, the researchers [...]
Serco shares plummet. But it’s all part of a long and winding road to recovery, says its boss February 22, 2017 Serco's share price plummeted over 18 per cent after the FTSE 250 firm posted a 14 per cent fall in profits for the year to December. But analysts warned investors in the supply services giant would likely take flight owing to a cut to forecast earnings in 2018 and an increased tax bill. The figures Total revenue fell [...]