Royal Mail has been fined £10.5m by the communications regulator Ofcom for failing to meet delivery targets for first and second-class mail in the 2023-2024 financial year. The penalty was nearly double last year’s fine of £5.6m for failing to meet obligations under the Universal Service Obligation. Under Ofcom’s standards, …
Read More »IDS subsidiary GLS to buy 20% stake in Greek courier firm ACS
International Distribution Services – the parent company of Royal Mail – said on Monday that subsidiary GLS has agreed to buy a 20% stake in Greek courier firm ACS Postal Services from Quest Holdings for €74m (£62m). ACS is the largest parcel carrier in the domestic Greek parcels market and …
Read More »Marshalls still confident despite tough first half
Landscaping and building products and supplier Marshalls reported a 13% decline in revenue for the first half on Monday, amounting to £306.7m. The FTSE 250 company said adjusted EBITDA fell 14% to £50.6m, and adjusted operating profit dropped 19% to £34m. Its adjusted profit before tax was down 20% to …
Read More »Royal Mail parent IDS to offload US freight divisions
Royal Mail parent International Distribution Services (IDS) announced on Monday that its parcel services subsidiary, GLS, would sell its US freight divisions to California-based DC Logistics. The move was part of GLS’ strategic focus on enhancing its core parcel services. According to Reuters, the divestment would include GLS US Freight …
Read More »Fonix Mobile ends year ahead of market expectations
Mobile payments and messaging technology provider Fonix Mobile reported a strong full-year financial performance in a trading update on Monday. The AIM-traded company said it exceeded market expectations, with an 18.5% increase in gross profit to £17.9m, compared to £15.1m in the prior year. Adjusted EBITDA also saw an 18.1% …
Read More »Tuesday preview: Alphabet, Tesla, US existing home sales in focus
Investors’ focus on Tuesday will be on the corporate space as US tech giant Alphabet and carmaker Tesla release their latest quarterly results. In the case of the former, the spotlight will be on the whether Google’s parent company’s results live up to the recent mania around artificial intelligence or …
Read More »Government to scrutinise £5.3bn Royal Mail takeover
The new Labour government is set to look closely at the £5.3bn takeover of Royal Mail-owner International Distribution Services by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky. Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it would be “reasonable to expect [the deal] to be called in”, as ministers had intervened when Kretinsky increased his stake …
Read More »Capita renews contract to administer Royal Mail statutory pension
Capita announced the renewal of its contract with the Cabinet Office to administer the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme (RMSPS) on Tuesday, for an additional six years from 2026. The London-listed outsourcing specialist said the contract included an option to extend for a further two years, following a competitive selection …
Read More »Royal Mail owner IDS delays results amid takeover bid
Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services said on Thursday that it has had to delay the publication of its full-year results – which were originally due on Thursday morning – after auditor KPMG requested additional time to complete procedures. “The group’s auditor, KPMG, has requested additional time to complete the …
Read More »Post Office appoints former Camelot boss as new chair
Nigel Railton, the former long-serving boss of National Lottery operator Camelot UK, has been appointed as the new chair of the Post Office, the government confirmed on Wednesday. The appointment, made by business secretary Kemi Badenoch, comes after the sacking of Henry Staunton in January due to the handling of …
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