Tate & Lyle to beat profit expectations as consumers cook at home during lockdown January 28, 2021 Sweetener manufacturer Tate & Lyle is set to beat profit expectations due to strong demand as more people cooked at home during lockdown. The firm, which sold its eponymous sugar brand in 2010, said its food and beverage solutions division recorded sales growth of eight per cent due to higher volumes, good prices and the [...]
Fever-Tree to beat revenue expectations as supermarket sales soar in lockdown January 28, 2021 Fever-Tree expects to beat revenue expectations for last year following strong supermarket sales of its soft drinks and mixers during the pandemic. The firm said this morning that total revenue for 2020 is expected to be £252.1m, ahead of guidance provided in September. Revenue will be down three per cent on the previous year due [...]
Guinness owner Diageo hikes dividend despite impact of pub closures on sales January 28, 2021 Diageo, the owner of Guinness and Smirnoff, this morning announced it will hike its dividend despite the impact of coronavirus restrictions on pub and bar sales. Reported net sales fell 4.5 per cent during the second half of the year, while operating profit declined 8.3 per cent to £2.2bn. Organic net sales increased one per [...]
Reddit day traders out for blood as they tell GameStop short-sellers: ‘We want to see the loss porn’ January 27, 2021 The ongoing battle between Reddit day traders and corporate short-sellers over GameStop stock has heated up, with the Redditors vowing: “We want to see loss porn”. Shares of US videogame retailer GameStop jumped 146 per cent today, driving the price of the stock to a whopping $365 by midday. Today’s surge leaves GameStop stock up [...]
Vaping wholesaler Supreme targets £156m market cap with AIM listing January 27, 2021 Vaping wholesaler Supreme this morning announced plans to float on London’s stock market, targeting a £156.1m market capitalisation. The Manchester-based e-cigarette firm will launch its initial public offering on London Stock Exchange’s growth market AIM next week. Its market capitalisation is expected to reach £156.1m following the IPO. This morning the company said it had [...]
Amazon halts alcohol sales in Northern Ireland following new Brexit customs rules January 27, 2021 Online retail giant Amazon has halted sales of wines, beers and spirits in Northern Ireland as it prepares to de-list more products under new Brexit customs rules. The company is concerned that excise duty will now have to be paid twice on alcohol shipments sent from British mainland across the Irish Sea. Amazon suspended orders [...]
Shakespeare: Boohoo buys Debenhams brand to broaden its customer base January 27, 2021 Online fashion giant Boohoo has bought the Debenhams brand and website for £55 million, meaning its remaining stores will be forced to close. Boohoo already purchased the Karen Millen and Coast brands in 2019, however this is the first time the e-tailer has stepped out of the fashion category, with Debenhams enabling entry to the [...]
Paperchase rescue deal to save 1,000 high street jobs January 27, 2021 High street stationery retailer Paperchase is set to announce a rescue deal today that is expected to save around 1,000 jobs. Paperchase will be sold through a pre-pack administration to Permira Debt Managers – connected to its current private equity owners – which has provided funding for the business since 2015, Sky News reported. Up [...]
Poundland sales grow as discount store chain introduces new price points and product lines January 27, 2021 Poundland owner Pepco reported a jump in revenue in the first quarter due to its status as an essential retailer and its introduction of new price points and product lines including clothing and homeware. The discount store chain, which trades as Pepco and Dealz in Europe and Poundland in the UK, said group like-for-like sales [...]
Covid-19 drives growth at Microsoft as cloud business benefits from home working January 26, 2021 Revenue was up at Microsoft in its second quarter, with the pandemic accelerating the company’s switch to cloud-based computing. Microsoft beat Wall Street estimates for revenue growth from Azure, it’s cloud computing service, as the software giant continued to benefit from a global shift to working and learning from home. The company’s shares, which gained about [...]