Top City advisor tipped for US ambassador role November 11, 2024 Peter Mandelson, the Labour former minister and president of advisory firm Global Counsel, is reportedly a front runner to take over as British ambassador to the United States. Lord Mandelson is said to be in the running to replace Dame Karen Pierce, who was appointed in 2020 and will remain in Washington until after Trump’s [...]
Vistry shares plunge as cost overruns lead to profit warning November 8, 2024 Vistry shares plunged by 13 per cent in early deals this morning after the company published the true extent of issues at its South Division. Vistry shares plunged last month after it flagged a profit hit from costs being understated in its South division. It’s now revealed the true extent of the losses. In a [...]
Businesses warn of £400m in extra costs after Reeves’s Budget tax raid November 8, 2024 Businesses across the UK are sounding the alarm over rising costs after Rachel Reeves raised taxes by some £40bn at the Budget last week. The Chancellor announced that employer’s national insurance contributions (NIC) will increase by 1.2 per cent to 15 per cent, and the threshold at which businesses start paying the levy will be [...]
Price rises loom as Budget hits Sainsbury’s with £140m costs November 7, 2024 Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts has cautioned that new government measures will hit shoppers with higher prices by adding £140m to the supermarket’s costs. These include a National Insurance hike, and a rise in the UK minimum wage. The increased National Insurance contributions, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Autumn Budget, will surge [...]
House prices hike push owners to renovate, not relocate November 7, 2024 As house prices surge at their fastest annual rate in two years, many UK homeowners are opting to renovate rather than relocate due to high property costs and the highest tax rates in four decades. House prices have hit a record high, as analysts suggest higher demand has come up against a continued shortage in [...]
Wood Group shares slump as it launches write-offs review November 7, 2024 Wood Group shares nosedived 55 per cent today after the engineering firm unveiled a Deloitte-led review of its operations, sparking investor concern. The review, launched in response to recent large-scale project write-offs, will assess the firm’s contract accounting and governance. It may also potentially lead to financial restatements. The review was announced alongside a trading [...]
Underground air to heat London’s iconic buildings November 6, 2024 Excess heat from London’s Underground will power iconic buildings in a new £1bn net zero scheme. This low-carbon network will soon channel excess heat from the Underground to power several sites in central London, namely Downing Street and the National Gallery. This comes following last week’s Budget, in which chancellor Rachel Reeves announced significant investments [...]
YouGov: Recent acquisition boosts revenue November 6, 2024 YouGov has reported strong full year revenue, slightly north of guidance, due to better-than-expected performance from its recently acquired Consumer Panel Services (CPS) arm. As expected, revenue reached £335.3m in the year ended July 2024, up by 30 per cent year on year and outpacing guidance put forward in August, due to bumper research activity [...]
Stamp duty hike: a ‘bitter but manageable pill to swallow’ for UK landlords November 5, 2024 Last week’s Budget announcement raised Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) to five per cent tax, yet household landlords seem unfazed. London-based estate agent Benham and Reeves carried a survey to find out how UK landlords reacted to this hike. Concerns about potential hikes in capital gains tax (CGT) on property investments weighed heavily on landlords [...]
Smiths News declares special dividend after profit surge November 5, 2024 Smiths News exceeded its profit expectations during its financial year, leading the UK-based wholesaler to announce a special dividend for its shareholders. According to its full-year results, the company’s revenue for the year ending 31 August 2024, reached £1.1bn, a 1.1 per cent uptick from last year. During that time, its adjusted operating profit also [...]
