Company News
Lockdown weighs heavily on shop prices
Shop prices continued to ease in February, industry research showed on Wednesday, as locked down retailers looked to shore up sales by discounting goods.
Wednesday preview: Global services, DS Smith in focus
Financial markets' focus in the middle of the week will be on global services sector activity with survey results due out in all the main geographical areas.
Safestay sells smallest Barcelona hostel for EUR 0.9m
Hostel operator Safestay announced the agreed sale of the smallest of its three hostels in Barcelona, ‘Barcelona Sea’, a leasehold site with 96 beds, to Beds and Foods Barcelona for €0. 9m (£0. 78m).
Director dealings: Aston Martin director makes share purchase
Aston Martin Lagonda revealed on Tuesday that non-executive director Robin Freestone had acquired 5,000 ordinary shares in the FTSE 250-listed luxury carmaker.
Renishaw puts itself up for sale, shares surge
Renishaw shares surged on Tuesday after the engineer said it was putting itself up for sale as its founders look to sell their stake.
Alba Mineral Resources upbeat on latest drilling at Clogau-St David's
Alba Mineral Resources updated the market on its work activities at the Clogau-St David's Gold Mine on Tuesday, where the latest results of the ongoing phase 1 surface drilling programme had now enabled it to project the newly=identified vein system at the Llechfraith mine area as having a strike extent of 58 metres.
Vela Technologies puts another £66k into fintech firm Mode
Vela Technologies has invested £66,000 in London-listed financial technology company Mode Global Holdings, it announced on Tuesday, as part of Mode's oversubscribed placing to raise £6m, to support the continuing growth of its financial products and services.
Renalytix AI losses widen as it progresses development programme
Artificial intelligence (AI) diagnostics company Renalytix AI recorded $0. 4m (£0. 29m) of pharmaceutical services revenue in its first half, it announced on Tuesday.
Uniphar ends year 'strong' as core divisions outperform
Healthcare services company Uniphar reported a “strong” 2020 in its preliminary results on Tuesday, with return on capital employed increasing to 18. 9%, from 17. 3% in 2019.
Warehouse REIT buys Glasgow Airport warehouse estate
Urban and ‘last-mile’ industrial asset investor Warehouse REIT announced the acquisition of a multi-let warehouse estate on the Glasgow Airport Business Park in Glasgow on Tuesday, totalling 55,600 square feet.
Ofgem finds 18 energy suppliers failed to adhere to price protection rules
Energy regulator Ofgem found that 18 energy suppliers failed to correctly protect 1m customers' tariff prices when they decided to switch companies or tariffs.
Virgin Wines shares soar in first hour of trading on AIM
Direct-to-consumer wine retailer Virgin Wines began trading on the AIM market on Tuesday morning, under the ticker ‘VINO’.
UK grocery sales surge as lockdown shutters hospitality sector
Grocery sales surged over the last month, industry data showed on Tuesday, as the lockdown continued to curtail spending in cafes, pubs and restaurants.
Mobile Streams launches first international language version of Streams
Mobile content and data intelligence company Mobile Streams has launched the first international language version of Streams, the company's bespoke data insight, intelligence and visualisation service.
Foxtons buys Douglas & Gordon for £14.3m
Estate agency chain Foxtons said on Tuesday that it has bought Douglas & Gordon for £14. 25m in cash.
Flutter sees strong start to 2021 in US as FY profits fall
Gambling group Flutter Entertainment reported a sharp fall in full-year profits but had started the new year with strong momentum and higher driven by US betting.
Boohoo not aware of any US customs investigation
Fast-fashion retailer Boohoo said on Tuesday that it is not aware of any investigation into the company by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Hotel Chocolat interims underpinned by online growth
Premium chocolatier Hotel Chocolat reported a rise in interim profit and revenue on Tuesday as online growth offset the impact from the closure of its stores due to lockdown.
Hill & Smith snaps up solar lighting specialist in £18m deal
Hill & Smith is spending £18. 2m buying Prolectric Services, the FTSE 250 infrastructure and galvanising firm said on Tuesday.
FCA closes investigation into Lookers
The Financial Conduct Authority has closed its investigation over the possible mis-selling of regulated products at car dealership chain Lookers.