News And Announcements
DS Smith, Just Eat and John Wood up for promotion in FTSE 100 reshuffle
Just Eat, DS Smith, Wood Group and Halma could gain a prestigious promotion to the FTSE 100 index in the quarterly reshuffle that will be decided next week.
Bank of England admits to paying female staff less than men
The Bank of England has admitted paying its female staff 24% less than their male counterparts, primarily due to a lack of women in senior positions .
Premaitha Health reaches agreement with new East Asian lab partner
Molecular diagnostics group Premaitha Health has signed an agreement with a new laboratory partner, it announced on Thursday, to offer a non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) screening solution in a new East Asian territory.
Bunzl completes French acquisitions on top of Australia, Brazil additions
International distribution and outsourcing group, Bunzl confirmed the acquisitions of Hedia, Comptoir de Bretagne and Générale Collectivités, as announced in July.
Mountfield Group flags higher net profits for 2017 year
Commercial flooring and specialist construction services company Mountfield Group updated the market on its trading in the year-to-date on Thursday, reporting that net profit for the year was likely to exceed that achieved in both the first half of the current year, and the second half of the 2016 year.
ZPG abandons the chase for GoCompare
Zoopla and uSwitch owner ZPG confirmed on Thursday that it does not plan to make another offer for GoCompare.
Revenues down at Mobile Streams as Argentina disappoints
Emerging markets-focussed mobile media company Mobile Streams reported a decrease in revenues in its final results on Thursday, to £5. 7m from £12. 8m, which it put down to challenges in its core market of Argentina.
IronRidge begins field programme at Dorothe Project
IronRidge Resources announced the start of its 2017-2018 field programme at its wholly-owned Dorothe Project in Chad, Central Africa on Thursday.
Treasury announces plans to sell RBS shares
According to Budget documents released this week, Chancellor Philip Hammond is preparing to reprivatise the Royal Bank of Scotland by selling £15bn worth of shares the government picked up when bailing out the lender nearly a decade ago.
Gusbourne wins English wine award after bumper harvest
Kent-based winemaker Gusbourne announced on Thursday that it has been awarded the IWSC 'English Wine Producer of the Year' accolade, for the third time in the past five years.
Directa Plus teams up with Iterchimica on asphalt product
Graphene-based products producer and supplier Directa Plus announced a collaboration with specialist asphalt additives producer Iterchimica on Thursday.
John Menzies strikes upbeat note on trading
John Menzies said it was confident about hitting forecasts for annual profit and upbeat about prospects for 2018.
Worldwide Healthcare outperforms amid positive Trump effect
Worldwide Healthcare Trust said it outperformed its investment benchmark in the first six months of the year and that perceptions of healthcare stocks had improved under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Eco Atlantic makes significant development progress
Oil and gas exploration company Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas updated the market on its operations in the first half on Thursday, confirming that together with its operating partner Tullow Oil, it has completed a 2,550 square kilometre 3D seismic survey on the 1,800 square kilometre Orinduik Block, offshore Guyana.
CMC Markets interim profit jumps 58% but short-term outlook cautious
Spreadbetting firm CMC Markets posted a 58% jump in interim pre-tax profit on Thursday as net operating income was lifted by its focus on high value clients, although it sounded a cautious note on the short-term outlook.
Anglo African Agriculture elevates Rob Scott to executive director
Food manufacturing and trading company Anglo African Agriculture announced on Thursday that Rob Scott, an existing non-executive director, has taken on the role of executive director with immediate effect.
Walker Crips posts solid improvement in first-half revenue
Investment management, stockbroking and wealth management services provider Walker Crips Group reported a 16. 7% uptick in revenues in its first half on Wednesday, to £15. 4m.
Mitchells & Butlers profit drops amid cost headwinds, cancels dividend
Pub group Mitchells & Butlers reported a drop in full-year profit on Thursday as it highlighted inflationary cost headwinds and said it will not pay an interim dividend in the current financial year, although revenue rose.
Mothercare tumbles as it swings to loss, highlights 'softening' UK market
Mothercare was under the cosh on Thursday after saying it swung to a loss in the first half of the year amid challenging international markets, as it warned of a "softening" in the UK.
Ofgem fines energy supplier E for misleading behaviour, blocks Shetland energy link
E, the gas and electricity supplier, has been being forced to pay £260,000 into the regulator's charity fund for failing to ensure its sales agents were transparent or passed sufficient background checks.