Airport operator BAA has been ordered to sell Stansted Airport and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports, it has been confirmed. BAA, which is majority-owned by Spain’s Ferrovial, has been under investigation by the Competition Commission since 2007. In its final ruling, the Commission said the sale of the airports was fully justified and the sale […]
Manchester-based Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) has announced plans to axe more than 600 jobs as part of a strategic review. The group said 670 field based jobs will go after conducting a review of its life insurance and savings division following its merger with the Britannia Building Society in August 2009. CFS, which has 8 […]
WH Smith, which sells newspapers, books, stationery and confectionery, today announced like-for-like sales fell 4% in the 18 weeks to 2 July compared with the same period a year ago. However, the company, which operates on the High Street and at travel-based outlets such as airports, train stations and motorway service stations, said it “remained […]
Train maker Bombardier has today revealed it will axe 1,400 jobs at its plant in Derby. The job cuts are attributed to the company losing out to Siemens on the £1.4 billion Thameslink contract. Its Derby operations has a workforce of 3,000 and the company said 446 permanent jobs and 983 temporary staff will go. […]
Music, books and games retailer HMV has today reported a pre-tax profit of £28.9 million in the 12 months to the end of April – a fall of 61% compared with the £74.2 million in the same period a year earlier. Furthermore, like-for-like sales have dived 11% over the past year as it struggles with […]
Debenhams, which is Britain’s second largest department store after John Lewis, today brought some much-needed good news to the retail sector after reporting an increase in second half-sales. The retailing giant said sales at stores open more than a year, excluding VAT sales tax, were 1.5% higher in the 17 weeks to June 25. It […]
Japan’s industrial output recovered further last month after a record drop in March due to the earthquake and tsunami. Disruptions caused by the twin disasters resulted in carmakers being forced to halt production as a result of parts shortages. However, it looks as if the situation is improving for manufacturers after output rose at a […]
Department store chain TJ Hughes has today revealed it is set to enter administration. The Liverpool-based store has more than 50 outlets across the UK and has a headcount of 4,000 – which are all at risk. The company said it will be appointing an administrator over the next week or so, unless a buyer […]
Carpetright has today added to the doom and gloom surrounding the retail sector by announcing a 70% fall in annual profits. The company blamed “very challenging trading conditions” after profits for the year to 30 April came in at £6.6 million – down from £22.3 million a year ago. Meanwhile, annual revenues were down 6% […]
Chocolate retailer Thorntons has today announced plans to close 120 stores over the next three years. The firm also said, as part of a strategic review of the business, a further 60 shops could close as it blamed challenging trading conditions for the latest measures. The announcement comes just one day after it was revealed […]
Fashion chain Jane Norman has gone into administration after failing to find a buyer. The retailer was forced to close its 90 UK stores this weekend and the news comes just a few days after it emerged that furniture chain Habitat is to be put into administration. Jane Norman is understood to have appointed American […]
Furniture chain Habitat is to be put into administration but three of its stores are to be bought by Home Retail Group (owner of Argos and Homebase). Home Retail Group is acquiring the rights to the Habitat brand in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Administrators have been appointed for 30 of the outlets, […]
Electrical goods retailer Dixons has today reported like-for-like sales fell 2% in the year to April. The results come just a day after fellow electrical goods chain Comet said sales fell 6.8% for the 12 month period. The figures are evidence of consumers reining in their spending and opting not to purchase big-ticket items at […]
Electrical goods retailer Comet has today posted a 6.8% fall in sales for the year to 30 April, slumping to a loss of €10 million (£9 million). The chain said trade had deteriorated in the new financial year and chairman David Newlands described the results as “unsatisfactory and unacceptable”. Comet’s parent company, Kesa, however posted […]
Holidaymakers look set to have their summer travel plans disrupted after it emerged today that Virgin Atlantic pilots have voted for industrial action – the first time in the airline’s 32-year history. According to the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) union, 97% of its members voted for strike action after pay talks with the company […]
Supermarket giant Tesco has today reported a fall in UK like-for-like sales but said overseas sales remained strong. British shoppers continue to rein in their spending due to economic uncertainty and Government spending cuts which led to a fall of 0.1% in sales for the 12 week period to 28 May – worse than the […]
Airports operator BAA has today reported a sharp rise in passenger numbers at its six British airports in May. BAA, which is majority owned by Spain’s Ferrovial, said 9.3 million passengers flew from its UK airports during the month, boosted by the late Easter holiday and the Royal Wedding, which led to an increase in […]
There is further evidence of consumers reining in their spending after Home Retail Group (HRG), the biggest household goods retailer, said sales fell 9.6% in the 13 weeks to the end of May. Shares in HRG sank 11% after the announcement – a 2½ year low – after it said trading conditions were challenging and […]
Shares in troubled music, books and games retailer HMV have risen today after it emerged that it has secured a new refinancing deal with its lenders. The deal, worth £220 million, will see the taxpayer taking a stake in the company. The group’s main lenders are taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group. […]
Gender directive could slash men’s annuity payouts
The EU Gender Directive, which came into force today, could see men losing up to £10,000 from their annuity payouts, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Under the new rules insurers are no longer allowed to take gender into account when setting annuity rates and premiums on insurance products. Men previously enjoyed higher annuity rates than […]
Home rental costs down in November
The cost of renting a house in England and Wales fell by 0.4 per cent in November, its first dip since March, according to a survey by LSL Property Services. Average rent was £741m during the month, returning to the level seen in September. However, it was 3.4 per higher than in November last year. […]
Lloyds TSB halts sale of packaged accounts in branches
Lloyds TSB will stop selling packaged account in its branches from 1 January 2013, until its sales procedures are brought into line with those operated by sister bank The Halifax. Lloyds TSB is one of the main providers of packaged accounts in Britain, with around one in three of its customers choosing to pay fees […]
Housing market recovery to continue next year
Recent improvements in the housing market should continue into next year, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) Gross lending is estimated to have increased to £12.9 billion in November, helped by the Funding for Lending scheme which provides banks and building societies with lower-cost funding, which they are then supposed to pass on […]
Newcastle Building Society exits interest-only mortgages
Newcastle Building Society has stopped offering interest-only mortgages to new borrowers, following the lead of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Nationwide, Co-operative bank and Coventry Building Society. The decision will not affect existing Newcastle customers and applications for interest-only mortgages received before 14 December will still be processed. Prior to the credit crunch, interest-only mortgages […]
Less than half of Brits considered creditworthy
Fifty-seven per cent of UK adults are at risk of having an application for credit turned down by a mainstream lender according to a new report. The ‘Mind the Credit Gap‘ report commissioned by aqua credit cards suggests that even people with a good credit rating and earning more than £50,000 could have a credit […]
Monthly incomes £22 lower in 2012
The average monthly income of UK households fell by £22 in real terms compared with last year, according to a survey carried out for the Bank of England (BoE) by NMG Consulting. People on lower incomes have seen their income eroded more than higher earners and households still have high levels of debt the BoE […]
Savers dig deep to fund Christmas
New research from the Halifax suggests that savers are funding their Christmas spending with money set aside for other purposes. Thirty-seven per cent of 2,138 savers surveyed by the bank at the end of November had withdrawn savings in the last three months. The average amount withdrawn was £1,186, more than double the average savings […]
Financial data at risk from unsafe passwords
According to a survey by the Payments Council the problem of having to remember a different password for several accounts means that many internet users are compromising the security of their financial data. Internet users have 22 password-protected accounts on average and many use the same log-in details for more than one account, even though […]
Wonga launches Paylater loans on retailer website
Payday loan company Wonga has launched a new Paylater service on furniture firm Cotswold Company’s website. The service, which allows customers to “buy now, pay later” will be introduced on other retailers’ sites in the near future. Although the Paylater branding is similar to Wonga’s, the Wonga name only appears in the small print. A […]
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