Apple has benefited from the popularity of iPhones and posted a net profit of $1.67 billion (£1 billion) in the three months to 26 September – a 47% rise compared with a year earlier. The California-based technology giant, which has bucked the trend in the economic downturn, exceeded analysts expectations after sales grew 25% in [...]
Asia’s largest carrier, Japan Airlines (JAL), is set to be bailed out by the Government after a restructuring plan was rejected by its creditor banks. The airline, like many others throughout the world, is struggling to stay afloat during the global economic downturn which has led to a slump in demand. Many airlines have been [...]
Marks and Spencer (M&S) is no longer Britain’s most popular fashion retailer. Shoppers seeking bargains amid the economic downturn means Asda’s George and discount clothing retailer Primark are the nation’s first and second favourite clothes shops. The budget fashion chains are luring shoppers away from the more expensive retailers and this was highlighted last month [...]
Russian airline Aeroflot has announced to plans to reduce its headcount by 13% – around 2,000 jobs in the next six months. The airline, which is 51% government owned, said profits had dived amid higher fuel prices and losses at its cargo operations, which declared bankruptcy in June. Furthermore, the airline hasn‘t ruled out further [...]
The global economic downturn has resulted in a slump in demand for big-ticket items, such as cars. This has affected carmakers worldwide with many cutting back on production, slashing jobs and seeking funding to see them through the downturn. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the Midlands carmaker, is no exception and according to The Sunday Times, [...]
The economic downturn has claimed yet another victim with the latest being Coffee Republic. The coffee and deli chain has entered administration and KPMG, who have been appointed administrators, said job losses are “inevitable” at loss-making outlets. Richard Hill, KPMG partner and joint administrator, said: “The recession is hitting discretionary spending on the High Street [...]
Figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) today have provided some good news for the car industry, which has been suffering amid the economic downturn. The SMMT said “We are now beginning to see the positive impact of the scrappage scheme translate into new vehicle registrations.” The UK’s scrappage scheme was [...]
Virgin Atlantic is set to reduce its number of flights this winter which will put 600 jobs at risk. The airline, founded by Sir Richard Branson, announced that it was not operating its Heathrow-Chicago daily service for the winter 2009/10 season and is suspending one of its two daily services between Heathrow and Hong Kong. [...]
Japan Airlines (JAL) is set to receive up to 100 billion yen (£635 million, $1 billion) in Government aid. JAL, which is Asia‘s biggest carrier, will receive the emergency loan on the condition that the airline’s management improves and the way in which the company is run. Earlier this year, the airline predicted an annual [...]
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has reported that like-for-like sales were up 7.8% for the 12 week period to 13 June. The news comes just a day after fellow supermarket Tesco posted a 4.3% rise in quarterly sales and said it had made a “solid” start to its financial year. Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s, which is Britain’s third-largest supermarket, [...]
Virgin Atlantic has bucked the trend among airlines after reporting that it has almost doubled profits. In the 12 months to the end of February, pre-tax profits rose to £68.4 million, compared with the £34.8 million reported a year earlier. The announcement comes as many airlines continue to experience a slump in demand with many [...]
A survey conducted by Help the Aged and Age Concern charity revealed that over half of workers over 50 may need to postpone their retirement since their savings and pensions have been hit by the economic downturn. While mortgage borrowers have benefited due to record low interest rates, savers have been hit, while pension funds [...]
Figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed a sharp fall in UK car production. According to the SMMT, car production fell 55.3% in April compared with the same month in 2008. A total of 68,258 cars were made in April, while the total for the year to date [...]
Clinton Cards has put its Birthdays greetings card chain into administration after it said it could not provide funding to the loss-making chain anymore. The announcement puts 2,200 jobs at risk. Peter Saville of Zolfo Cooper, who has been appointed administrator, said: “Despite today’s announcement, I would like to reassure customers that it is business [...]
The airline industry continues to suffer amid the economic downturn and in an attempt to slash costs, Europe’s largest airline, Air France-KLM is to axe 2,700 positions. The news came after the company announced its results, which beat market expectations and sent its shares up by 11%. The carrier suffered a net loss of €505 [...]
The fall in advertising revenue has resulted in the first drop in quarterly sales for the first time since its incorporating as a public listed company. The recession has had an impact on slower profits and sales, as users of the search engine are not clicking on ads as often. As a result, sales in [...]
Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has revealed a pre-tax loss of €358 million (£316 million) in the first quarter of 2009 and has announced plans to cut 2,000 jobs. The group said continued weak global demand meant it had to make savings of €400 million and the 2,000 job losses are on top of 2,000 [...]
Last week, the Australian Government announced a AUS$42 billion (£19 billion) stimulus package designed to help the country weather the economic downturn. However, the plan has been rejected by the Australian Senate calling it “financially irresponsible”. It was intended that AUS28.8 billion was to be set aside for schools, housing and roads, while the remaining [...]
One in five homeowners could find themselves in negative equity as the recession tightens its stranglehold, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has warned. House prices could potentially drop by as much as 30% compared to 2007 levels, the FSA said, leaving 2.5 million mortgage holders owing more than the value of their house. This is [...]
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed that the number of new cars registered in the UK in January fell 30.9% year-on-year. The continued fall highlights the fact that the economic downturn continues to have a major impact on new car sales. According to the organisation, a total of 112,087 new cars [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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