Pent-up demand, the government’s measures to support the housing market and a “chronic undersupply” of homes have driven a 23% leap in sales for the UK housebuilder Persimmon this year. The country’s second biggest builder said it had completed £3bn worth of sales since the start of the year, almost a quarter ahead of the same period...
A slower than anticipated global vaccine rollout and wider failure to get Covid under control will cost airlines $10bn (£7.2bn) more than previously predicted, according to the organisation that represents global airlines. The warning from the International Air Transport Association came as Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary warned on Wednesday there would be “seismic” cut in capacity...
Gambling firms behind more than £30m in football shirt sponsorship deals have been accused of making “insulting” contributions to the industry-funded addiction charity, with one giving just £250. An annual list of donors to GambleAware, which is funded by online casinos and bookmakers, details how much individual firms have given. The data reveals an increase in contributions...
TalkTalk has been accused of taking its customers for April fools after it said it would be raising bills for those who signed up to a fixed-price broadband contract. Customers are furious at what they say is the company’s “unscrupulous” behaviour after it quietly ripped up its price promise and announced a £24-a-year increase. For its...
It is now three months since Boris Johnson declared that his Brexit deal would be unalloyed good news for UK businesses and consumers alike. But the true picture is graphically illustrated by a new survey of 125 UK and Dutch firms that do business between the two old and close trading nations. Whether it be trade in...
British online car retailer Cazoo will make its stock market debut in New York though a special-purpose acquisition company (Spac), after agreeing to a merger deal that values the company at $7bn (£5bn). Cazoo is set to merge with Ajax I, led by the billionaire US investor Dan Och, making it the latest company to take advantage...
PensionBee, an online pension provider, has become the latest company to announce plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, with an estimated market value of £350m. The firm, which helps savers consolidate their old pensions into one new plan, aims to sell shares to institutional investors as well as its 130,000 active customers. It...
The doorstep lender Provident Financial has said it could put its consumer credit division into administration unless borrowers agree to a scheme that will sharply reduce compensation payments following a surge in customer complaints. The high-cost lender also revealed it was facing a regulatory investigation by the Financial Conduct Authority into a string of issues including whether...
NatWest has cut its banker bonus pool to the lowest level since its financial crisis bailout, after swinging to a full-year loss in 2020. The lender – formerly known as Royal Bank of Scotland – slumped to a loss of £351m for 2020 compared with a profit of £4.2bn a year earlier. The bank was...
England’s high streets could lose up to 400,000 retail jobs as a result of more people working from home and shopping online after the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report, with affluent towns in the south among the most vulnerable. Out of the 109 towns and cities studied by the accountancy firm KPMG, Bracknell in the London...