By David Milliken and Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - British inflation unexpectedly fell last month, reflecting the biggest annual drop in clothing prices since 2009 and cheaper second-hand cars, toys and computer games, though most economists see sharper price rises ahead. The annual rate of consumer price inflation dropped to 0.4% in February...
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(Reuters) - Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury said on Wednesday profit for fiscal year 2020 will be significantly above market expectations as a surge in reading during the lockdown continued. "The popularity of reading during lockdown is a ray of sunshine in an otherwise very dark last year," Chief Executive Nigel Newton said, adding that February, the final month of its financial...
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LONDON (Reuters) - Holiday company TUI (LON:TUIT) said it would shut 48 retail stores across Britain, adding to the 166 it has already closed there during the pandemic. The shop closures will mean additional cost savings for TUI, which is headquartered in Germany and has relied on state-bailouts to help it survive the travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. "The travel...
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LONDON (Reuters) - British home improvement retailer Wickes, which is being demerged from jbuilding materials group Travis Perkins (LON:TPK), on Wednesday forecast full year sales growth ahead of its markets. The home improvement, or do-it-yourself (DIY), sector has performed well during the COVID-19 pandemic as Britons have spent more time at home, have had fewer leisure options and have travelled...
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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese government bureaucrats have called and emailed equipment makers in Japan and overseas to request they provide parts and machinery to help Renesas Electronics Corp, restore chip production at its fire-damaged plant. "We can't compel companies to act, but we can request that they do so," an official at Japan's Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry told Reuters. He...
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By Pei Li and Julie Zhu (Reuters) - Pony Ma, the low-profile founder of Tencent Holdings (HK:0700), China's biggest social media and video games company, met with antitrust watchdog officials this month to discuss compliance at his group, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The meeting is the most...
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LONDON (Reuters) - British consumer price inflation fell to 0.4% in February from 0.7% in January, reflecting unusual patterns of clothing discounts, official figures showed on Wednesday, versus forecasts in a Reuters poll for it to edge up to 0.8%. ...
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FRANKFURT (Reuters) - E.ON, Germany's largest listed energy group, said on Wednesday its British retail business was recovering faster than planned, and proposed a higher dividend as the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic was limited. E.ON's UK retail unit, which includes the Npower brand acquired as part of an asset swap with RWE, is likely to deliver more than 100 million pounds...
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(Reuters) - Housebuilder Bellway (LON:BWY) Plc on Wednesday said it was experiencing strong underlying demand for new homes, as the sector stands to benefit from a slew of incentives announced in the UK budget earlier this month. The company, which builds everything from one-bedroom apartments to six-bedroom family homes and luxury penthouses, reported pre-tax profit of 280.2 million pounds ($384.29...
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(Reuters) - Tesla Inc's Elon Musk tweeted https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1374617643446063105 on Wednesday, "you can now buy a Tesla with bitcoin." ...
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