News And Announcements
January sales help boost retail footfall
Retail footfall strengthened last month, industry data showed on Friday, as shoppers sought out a bargain in the January sales and employees headed back to the office.
JD Sports surges as growth plan unveiled by new CEO Schultz
Shares in sports fashion retailer JD Sports Fashion surged on Thursday as the company revealed it is aiming to grow revenues and margins by double digits over the next five years alongside a rapid store expansion under a strategy outlined by new chief executive Regis Schultz.
CWU to strike on 16-17 February
Postal workers announced that they would strike on 16-17 February due to "unagreed changes" to the structure of work by Royal Mail at offices across the country.
Hotel Chocolat appoints Jon Akehurst as CFO
Premium chocolatier Hotel Chocolat said on Thursday that it has appointed Jon Akehurst as its new chief financial officer with effect from May.
Centrica halts forced meter installations
British Gas-owner Centrica has suspended the forced instalment of prepayment meters, after an investigation showed the homes of vulnerable customers were being broken into.
Goldman downgrades Standard Chartered to 'neutral'
Goldman Sachs downgraded its stance on shares of Standard Chartered on Thursday to ‘neutral’ from ‘buy’.
Heathrow boss Holland-Kaye to step down
Heathrow announced on Thursday that chief executive John Holland-Kaye will step down this year after nine years in the job.
Shell 'obscene' record $40bn profit fuels call for higher windfall tax
Oil and gas giant Shell on Thursday posted record annual profits of almost $40bn on the back of surging gas prices driven by Russia's war with Ukraine, prompting demands from UK politicians for further windfall taxes on energy producers amid the cost-of-living crisis.
ScS maintains outlook despite weaker sales
ScS Group said it remained on track to meet full-year targets on Thursday, despite a fall in underlying sales during the first half.
JTC delivers record new business wins in 2022
Professional services business JTC said on Thursday that it had delivered "strong organic growth" in the year ended 31 December, with record new business wins providing it with "good momentum" into 2023.
First-half earnings slip at Renishaw
Renishaw saw profits fall in the first half, the engineering group said on Thursday, despite "record" revenues.
NCC warns on profits, expects job cuts
NCC Group tumbled on Thursday after the cyber security firm warned on profits, saying that market headwinds were impacting current trading and that it expects to cut jobs.
FDA approves GSK anaemia drug
The US regulator has given the green light to a GSK treatment for anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease, the medicines and vaccines group confirmed on Thursday.
Airtel Africa Q3 pre-tax profits fall despite revenue growth
Telecommunications group Airtel Africa said on Thursday that third-quarter pre-tax profits had fallen despite delivering increased revenues in the period.
Copper output boosts production at Anglo American
Anglo American saw fourth-quarter production jump, the miner said on Thursday, boosted by strong copper output.
Dunkerton says no plans 'at the moment' to take Superdry private
Superdry’s founder and chief executive, Julian Dunkerton, said on Thursday that there are currently no plans to take the company private.
Wizz Air, Ryanair passenger numbers soar in January
Budget airlines Wizz Air and Ryanair reported another surge in passenger numbers in January as travel continued to rebound from the Covid pandemic.
Cranswick trading in line, December 'particularly robust'
Food producer Cranswick said on Thursday that it was trading in line with expectations, as it hailed a "particularly robust" performance in December.
BT sees third-quarter revenues dip
BT Group reiterated its full-year outlook on Thursday, despite seeing third-quarter revenues slip.
Bunzl completes new deal on US services
Specialist international distribution and services group Bunzl said it had agreed terms with its largest customer by revenue to continue to support the company with value-added distribution services across the US.