Apple has reportedly suspended production of vegan phone cases it started selling less than a year ago. The tech giant is said to have stopped making its FineWoven cases and watch straps following complaints that the £59 cases would become easily scratched and worn out. Apple introduced the material, a …
Read More »AstraZeneca’s dividend hike divides opinion
Patent worries persist Shareholder discontent at AGM When AstraZeneca (AZN) announced a dividend hike ahead of a potentially fractious AGM last week, it was bound to be viewed as a sweetener for investors who’ve gone sour on the stock. Although its shares have now recovered after lurching downward in the …
Read More »Royal Mail faces takeover bid from Czech billionaire
His ownership of significant stakes in Royal Mail and Sainsbury’s has forced him to be more open and, in his first British interview last year, he pledged to keep Royal Mail listed on the stock market, saying it was good if “every British citizen can invest in the shares”. Royal …
Read More »Companies roundup: DS Smith takeover & Entain
DS Smith (SMDS), Entain (ENT), car registrations, Future (FUTR), Ascential (ASCL), Motorpoint (MOTR) and Gooch & Housego (GHH) Packaging giants DS Smith (SMDS) and Mondi (MNDI) are still in merger talks, having reached an agreement in principle last month. The Panel on Takeovers and Mergers has extended the offer deadline from 5pm on 4 April …
Read More »Royal Mail asks to scale back deliveries
Second-class deliveries under scrutiny Possible cost savings of £300mn Royal Mail has proposed halving second-class letter deliveries and slowing down business mail, in a bid to save £300mn a year. The UK courier, which is part of International Distributions Services (IDS), wants to deliver all non-first class letters every other weekday, …
Read More »Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson quits with £700,000 pay-off after war with unions
Simon Thompson is set for a pay-off of up to £700,000 after quitting as the boss of Royal Mail in the wake of a tempestuous battle with union leaders. Mr Thompson will formally step down from the helm of Royal Mail in autumn, leaving the UK postal monopoly on the …
Read More »Welcome to Liz Truss’ Britain. Everyone’s going on strike – POLITICO
Press play to listen to this article LONDON — As Liz Truss gets down to work as Britain’s new prime minister, she faces an immediate problem. Half the British workforce appears to be going on strike. Across the country, rail workers, barristers, dockhands, bus drivers, garbage collectors, Amazon employees, and …
Read More »Royal Mail apologises for letter delays amid surging staff absences
Royal Mail has apologised after soaring staff absences caused the postal service to miss targets for millions of letter deliveries. The formerly state-owned company said just 85.6pc of first class post was delivered on time during the last week of January, below its statutory target of 93pc. Delivery times for …
Read More »Royal Mail faces union battle over plans to cut 700 jobs
Mr Thompson, who also previously worked for Apple and is on Coca-Cola’s digital advisory board, insisted that the cuts were a continuation of already agreed proposals with Unite and the Communication Workers Union to remove 1.2m working hours from the business. “Ourselves and our unions are totally sticking with our …
Read More »Letters face weeks of delays as thousands of postal workers go sick or self-isolate
A spokesman said: “We are providing targeted support to the local offices affected by these issues and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience they may have experienced. “Our postmen and women are continuing to work incredibly hard, as they have done throughout the pandemic, and we are thankful for …
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