Tag Archives: Companies

Tax cuts, International Distributions Services (IDS) and Ithaca Energy (ITH) Rishi Sunak is preparing a £2.4bn tax cut for pensioners, in a bid to boost his difficult election campaign. The Tories said, if they win the election, they would increase the personal tax allowance for pensioners every year, so it rises in …

Free cash flow up by a third Increased proportion of own brand sales Victorian Plumbing (VIC) delivered flat half-year revenues on a like-for-like basis and a 2 per cent rise in completed orders through the period. That’s a reasonable enough outcome given where we are in the interest rate cycle, …

Profit guidance unchanged New date to be released “as soon as reasonably practicable” The parent company of Royal Mail, International Distributions Services (IDS), has postponed its full-year results due to auditing delays.  The courier was due to publish figures for the year ended 31 March at 7am on 23 May. …

The investor’s company EP Group has submitted a revised of 370p per share for the company, an increase of 16pc on a previous offer which had been rejected. The billionaire was previously vetted under national security and investment rules in October 2022, when his stake in the company rose to …

The Government has shown little appetite to mount a defence. The Chancellor has talked in platitudes about how there are lessons to be learned from the debt crisis that has engulfed Thames Water at the same time as repeating the tired yet vague mantra that Britain must ensure it continues …

The NHS is to use Google’s autonomous drones to fly blood samples between London hospitals in an effort to speed up medical tests. Wing, the drone operator owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has been chosen to deliver high-priority samples between Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in south London. The …

The swoop is also facing opposition from the CWU, which is instead calling for a “new ownership and governance model” for Royal Mail. Mr Kretinsky’s EP Group, which is expected to make a fresh offer ahead of a deadline of May 15 set under City takeover rules, has held meetings …

Slower start to second half  Excellent performance from UK business WH Smith’s (SMWH) half-year results were in line with expectations, but the market seemed disappointed. Its shares slumped by 7 per cent after the figures were published, with one analyst branding them “ok-ish”.  Total group revenue rose by 8 per …

Gross margin retreats  Management points to market share gains This was always going to be a tough set of results for Focusrite (TUNE), after the music and audio hardware and software company cut its guidance last month in a context of “challenging market conditions”. The shares lost a quarter of their value after …

Possible government intervention  Powerful workforce  In true Royal Mail fashion, news of a possible takeover was delivered to shareholders a few days late.  On 9 April, International Distributions Services (IDS) received a non-binding proposal from billionaire Daniel Křetínský, otherwise known as the “Czech Sphinx”. Křetínský, who already owns 27.5 per cent …