Coronavirus: Guinness owner Diageo pauses £4.5bn shareholder returns scheme April 9, 2020 Guinness owner Diageo has scrapped its financial guidance and suspended a £4.5bn shareholder returns programme after bars and restaurants across the world closed due to coronavirus. The drinks giant has not scrapped its interim dividend, however it has paused a three-year shareholder returns programme after governments ordered pubs to shut. Diageo said it had seen [...]
Guinness owner Diageo launches fund to prop up pub staff wages March 17, 2020 Guinness owner Diageo has launched a £1m fund to support bar staff wages as pubs across the UK teeter on the brink of collapse due to coronavirus. The community fund will help some pubs and bars to pay a proportion of staff wages if they are forced to close as customers are urged to stay [...]
Coronavirus: Guinness owner Diageo warns on £200m profit hit February 26, 2020 Drinks manufacturing giant Diageo has warned it expects to take a profit hit of up to £200m due to the impact of coronavirus, which has seen bars and restaurants close and events cancelled across Asia. Diageo – the owner of Guinness, Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka – this morning said group organic sales could [...]
Hundreds of Diageo workers to strike over pay September 3, 2019 Hundreds of workers at Diageo plants in Scotland will strike this month after pay talks between the drinks giant and unions broke down. Unite members across the firm’s distilleries in Cameron Bridge, Shieldhall and Leven will walk out on 18, 19, 20, 26 and 27 September. Read more: Diageo invests £180m in greener African breweries [...]
Gin sales boost Diageo profits July 25, 2019 Guinness owner Diageo saw profits rise last year driven by sales of its Gordon’s and Tanqueray gin. The figures Net sales increased 5.8 per cent to £12.9bn and operating profit soared 9.5 per cent to £4bn, driven by organic growth. Net cash from operating activities was £3.2bn, up £164m. Earnings per share increased by 7.4 [...]
Norwegian fund KLP bans investments in alcohol and gambling May 28, 2019 Norway’s largest pension fund has pledged to ban investments in alcohol and gambling stocks today as it ramps up efforts to divest from 'vice' stocks. KLP, which controls roughly $80bn (£63bn) in assets under management, is severing its ties with casino groups, brewers and cigarette companies in its latest sustainability drive. Read more: M&G Investments [...]
Harry, Meghan and the case for shared parental leave May 8, 2019 While the parents of the new royal baby might be exempt from a traditional nine to five job, it’s no surprise that their first-born child will still have a massive impact on their ability to fulfil royal duties. A member of the royal family is in a better position than others to spend time with [...]
UK’s biggest companies pull away as profits for rest of pack plunge May 8, 2019 Average profits at the UK’s 40 biggest companies rose by 11 per cent in the first quarter of the year while those outside the group saw a fall of 18 per cent, new analysis has shown, laying bare a stark division in the fortunes of British companies. Read more: 'Zombie firms' dragging down UK economy, [...]
Nine UK shares that tick all of Warren Buffett’s boxes March 26, 2019 | City Talk By Kyle Caldwell from interactive investor. Looking for equity-based ISA inspiration? We run through the investment checklist of the Berkshire Hathaway chairman to identify UK shares that pass his stockpicking rules. American investor Warren Buffett is to the world of investment what Lionel Messi is to football: the greatest of his generation in the profession [...]
Despite 2018’s woes, could the year of the pig be a sign of good fortune for Chinese equities? February 5, 2019 Chinese stock markets were dogged with problems last year – pretty fitting given that it was the year of the dog. The country grappled with slower growth, a mountain of debt, and a trade war with the US, creating a tough environment for Chinese equities. The MSCI China index slumped by 14 per cent in [...]