BUSINESS LIVE: Inflation jumps to 2.3%; Dunelm buys Home Focus; Royal Mail takeover ‘to be approved’

Severn Trent nearly tripled its profits in the first half of its financial year while also failing to meet a key drinking water safety standard.

The utility company, which supplies water to 4.6 million households and business across the Midlands and Wales, said it will fail the so-called compliance risk index, a metric which indicates whether firms are treating water in line with regulations.

Jaguar has infuriated car fans on social media with a radical new redesign that has been described as ‘woke’ and ‘unhinged’.

The car firm, which is just over 100 years old, unveiled a bold rebrand yesterday worked on by a team of 800 that has ditched most of its classic iconography, including the ‘growler’ badge depicting a roaring big cat.

Popular digital bank Chase has launched its first-ever credit card, which will be rolled out to some of its customers from today.

The new credit card will be available to a small group of 25,000 existing Chase customers after a period of testing with the bank’s employees.

Renters in the UK can expect their bills to soar by almost a fifth over the next five years as demand continues to outstrip supply, says estate agent Savills.

Tenants will pay 17.6 per cent more by 2029, with rents expected to rocket up by 4 per cent in 2025.

Crest Nicholson’s boss has said the firm will prioritise private sales in the coming year as it warned annual earnings will be towards the bottom end of its forecast range.

Martyn Clark, who became chief executive in mid-June, told investors the company wanted to ‘prioritise value over volume’ during the 2025 financial year to help bolster returns and margins.

Mark Crouch, market analyst at investment platform eToro:

‘These days the UK’s water sector is rather a murky lagoon of scandal and controversy. Public pressure continues to mount on water companies to up their game in tackling the pollution of Britain’s rivers, as government intervention, which was once seen extremely unlikely, now looks to be a realistic possibility.

‘Severn Trent maintains they are doing more than any of their rivals when it comes to investing in pollution prevention, and with the sector under the microscope, Severn Trent will need to show more tangible improvements in this area if it is to restore public and regulatory confidence.

‘Swirling in the back of shareholders minds will be where the next growth phase comes from. Severn Trent has over the years cemented themselves into a dominant position and through cost-saving initiatives been able to deliver consistent shareholder returns. However, Severn Trent’s share price has been something of a damp squib in recent years, and despite occasional waves of volatility has struggled to surpass 2020 highs.’

Santander UK’s profits fell sharply in the third quarter as the lender set aside £295million for potential compensation related to motor finance commissions.

The bank last month delayed the publication of results after a Court of Appeal ruling saw the court side with consumers in a row over commission earned by companies selling car finance loans.

Santander said it put aside £295million as a provision to cover potential payouts as well as legal costs.

It said there were ‘significant uncertainties as to the nature, extent and timing of any remediation action if required and the ultimate financial impact could be materially higher or lower than the amount provided’.

Antony Codling, RBC Capital Markets:

‘Today’s trading update was the first time we have heard from Crest’s new CEO Martyn Clark, and his initial comments set a more positive tone than we had been expecting, in particular he has not identified any new areas of concern.

‘Guidance for the full year has been reiterated, albeit at the lower end, which, in our view is welcome news given the recent spate of profit warnings emanating from the Group.

‘Crest will update on Fire Safety provisions in January and these are likely to rise as more buildings have now been assessed.

‘FY2025 will be a year of transition as operational changes are pushed through and problem sites continued to be worked through. The full year results are scheduled for 21 January 2025 with a full strategic update during Q1 2025. Overall, a positive start from Mr Clark, in our view.’

Dunelm has entered the Irish market after acquiring soft furnishing retailer Homefocus Group for an undisclosed sum.

Homefocus, which trades under the Home Focus at Hickeys’ brand, has 13 stores across Ireland and a website providing home delivery and click-and-reserve options for shoppers.

Homebuilder Crest Nicholson said on Wednesday it expects annual profit to be at the lower end of its previous forecast range, partly hurt by the higher proportion of low-margin affordable homes delivered in the year.

The company, which has struggled with operational problems and low operating margins, forecast adjusted pre-tax profit to be at the bottom end of its £22million to £29million outlook range guided previously.

Banking giant Santander UK has revealed profits plummeted in its third quarter as it took a £295 million hit following a major court decision on car finance commission.

The high street lender reported pre-tax profits of £143 million for the three months to the end of September, down 65% on the £413 million notched in the previous three months.

The group said it put aside £295 million as a provision to cover potential payouts as well as legal costs.

Donald Trump’s stint as President-elect has started with the kind of bang that you’d expect.

The US stock market has rallied, bitcoin and crypto have soared and investors have rushed to buy tech stocks, with the Trump-Musk bromance fuelling a 20 per cent surge in Tesla shares since election day.

Dunelm has struck a deal to acquire Irish soft furnishings retailer Home Focus.

Nick Wilkinson, CEO of Dunelm, said: “In Home Focus we have found a high-quality and complementary business, with a shared heritage in home textiles and strong values which stem from family ownership.

We’ve really enjoyed getting to know the team and look forward to welcoming them to the Dunelm family as we work together to further develop and invest in their specialist home proposition.

“We see a clear opportunity to introduce more choice and value into the offer which Home Focus has built for its customers.”

Isaac Stell, investment manager at Wealth Club, comments on the latest UK inflation figures:

Headline inflation reaccelerated in October to the highest rate since April 2024. The reacceleration can largely be attributed to increases in energy prices following the 10% rise in the energy price cap which came into force in October.

This rise will likely see an additional £149 added to the average annual household bill according to Ofgem.

The surprising strength of the latest inflation figures gives the Bank of England a conundrum.

With economic growth in the UK stalling, rate cuts would seem like the appropriate medicine, however, cutting rates into inflationary strength wouldn’t usually be what the economic doctors order.

With inflation close to target and one off’s causing the latest spike up, the BoE should feel confident about reducing rates by 0.25% in December, helping to ease the burden on consumers facing a rise in their heating bills as the winter weather begins to set in.”

The takeover of Royal Mail by a Czech billionaire looks set to be approved by ministers.

It places the postal service into foreign hands for the first time in its 508-year history.

Lenders could be hit with a £30billion bill to cover compensation costs related to the motor finance scandal, ratings agency Moody’s has said.

A court ruling recently found that banks must fully inform customers about the existence and size of commissions when selling car loans.