Corrugated boxes are the latest product in short supply, according to the UK’s largest manufacturer.
Most parcels in the UK are delivered in corrugated board and paper packages and demand has surged during lockdowns as more people have stayed home and increased their e-commerce orders.
Britain is set to see the sharpest rise in inflation for three decades next year, putting pressure on already struggling households as interest rates and bills rise.
Economists at Citigroup warned that the consumer prices index (CPI) could hit 6.8% next year, while the retail prices index (RPI) could rise as high as 8.6%, the Telegraph reported.
New Year’s Eve Covid-19 restrictions are becoming increasingly unlikely, UK Government sources said today with new data suggesting the omicron variant is far milder than delta.
It is the “working assumption” among key Whitehall figures that Boris Johnson will not levy further legal restrictions on socialising in the weeks following Christmas, several papers reported although this might change should data worsen significantly.
Eight Capital Partners PLC (AQSE:ECP) announced a £0.5mln unsecured loan facility with its main shareholder IWEP Ltd.
The loan has an initial term of 12 months with interest payable at an annualised rate of 4.5% and is available for immediate drawdown, the fintech group said in a statement. It intends to repay the loan by raising new equity capital.
Panthera Resources PLC (AIM:PAT), the gold exploration and development company with key assets in West Africa and India, sounded an upbeat note on its outlook for 2022, after it substantially expanded its exploration activities in the half-year ended 30 September 2021.
The company posted a loss of US$1.9mln, or 2 cents per share, for the first half, compared with a profit of US$2.2mln, or 3 cents per share in the same period last year, reflecting the high level of exploration actvitiy.
Crocs Inc is buying privately-owned HEYDUDE for US$2.5bn, as the rubber clogs maker capitalises on the pandemic-driven demand for casual footwear.
Some US$2.05bn will be paid in cash plus US$450mln worth of Crocs shares, issued to HEYDUDE chief executive and founder Alessandro Rosano.
One of the US lawmakers behind pro-crypto legislation, Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, reportedly intends to implement a comprehensive bill in 2022 aimed to help the use of digital assets.
According to Bloomberg, the planned bill will provide regulatory clarity on stablecoins, guide regulators to which cryptos belong to which asset classes and provide consumer protections.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) agreed to disable video games from the front centre touch screens of its electric cars while the vehicle is moving.
The move comes after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a safety probe into 580,000 Tesla vehicles.
Argo Blockchain PLC (LSE:ARB, OTCQX:ARBKF, NASDAQ:ARBK, ETR:0XP) and Braveheart Investment Group PLC (AIM:BRH) were in lofty company as they ranked in the ‘top stocks’ for Fidelity investors in 2021.
Argo out-ranked Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LSE:LLOY) and BP PLC (LSE:BP.) to take third-place in the ‘top five most actively traded stocks’ on Fidelity’s platform during the year, the investment group revealed in a report. Only Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LSE:RR.) and British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE:IAG) were more popular.
Thousands of Britain’s retailers and bar owners are facing a battle for survival post-Christmas, according to new research.
Online shoppers are tipped to splurge £1bn on Christmas Day alone, but the news is not so good for the High Street, according to GlobalData.
Merck and Co Inc said its Molnupiravir antiviral pill was authorised for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating high-risk adults with mild to moderate coronavirus (COVID-19).
The drug has been shown in clinical trials to reduce hospitalisations and deaths by around 30%.
President Energy PLC (AIM:PPC) confirmed its shareholders – except those in excluded territories – will receive a stake in the Atome Energy company as it floats in London before the end of December.
Shareholders will receive 1 Atome share for every 169 President shares held.
San Leon Energy PLC (AIM:SLE, AQSE:SLE, OTC:SLGYF) is to issue dividend-paying preference shares as part of the deal to take control of the Midwestern Leon Petroleum vehicle which holds a stake in the OML 18 oil assets in Nigeria.
The new share series are expected to return up to US$40mln over three years. They are designed to provide a cash return to existing shareholders, replacing what may have been paid out had outstanding loan note repayments been recouped.
Selfridges, the upmarket department store group, was sold to Thai retailer Central Group and Austrian property company Signa Group for a reported £4bn.
The Selfridges chain comprises 18 department stores in England, the Netherlands and Ireland and was previously owned by the Weston family. Canadian billionaire Galen Weston bought the company in 2003 for a sum north of £600mln.
Three of the UK's leading online banks reported outages yesterday, sparking a furious response from users as Britons rushed to buy last minute gifts in the run up to Christmas.
Lloyds Banking apologised to customers after access to the system was blocked at around 9pm for an hour on Thursday evening.
Babcock International Group PLC (Babcock International (LSE:BAB)) said it completed the sale of its power business to M Group Services for £50mln in cash.
The unit provides engineering services to the UK overhead line electric transmission and distribution industry. Clients include National Grid, Scottish Power Energy Networks and Western Power Distribution.
Sensyne Health PLC (AIM:SENS), the clinical artificial intelligence (AI) company, announced two new partnership deals.
The first is a one-year agreement with Exscientia "to leverage the deep learning AI capabilities of the Sensyne platform to study real-world health data," a statement said.
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC (LSE:RKT, ETR:3RB) said it agreed to sell its E45 skincare business to Karo Pharma for an implied enterprise value of £200mln as part of its drive for higher growth.
The brands had a combined net revenue of £43mln in 2021.
Kinetiko Energy Ltd (ASX:KKO) will officially move to a 100% stake in South Africa’s Afro Energy (Pty) Ltd after executing formal, binding legal agreements.
The Perth-based energy stock originally held a 49% interest in Afro, which holds the South African exploration rights and production approvals tied to Kinetiko’s assets.