Monday newspaper round-up: Jimmy Carter, London house prices, EG Group, retail layoffs

(Sharecast News) - Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, a broker of peace in the Middle East in his time, and a tireless advocate for global health and human rights, has died, it was announced on Sunday. He was 100 years old. A Georgia Democrat, Carter was the longest-lived president in US history. He only served one term in the White House and was soundly beaten by Ronald Reagan in 1980. But Carter spent the decades afterward focused on international relations and human rights, efforts that won him the Nobel peace prize in 2002. - Guardian House prices tumbled across swathes of London this year as hard-pressed buyers shunned property in some of the most expensive parts of the country. Seven of the 10 areas in the UK which suffered the biggest price falls were in the capital, according to Halifax. Prices in Westminster fell 3.5pc in 2024 to an average of just under £731,000, while those in the Borough of Ealing dropped by almost 5pc, to just under £560,000. - Telegraph

The Issa brothers are looking at floating their petrol station empire in the United States for as much as £13 billion, in a fresh blow to the London Stock Exchange. EG Group, their forecourt business, has sounded out banks for a potential listing in 2025, which would mean a significant payday for the brothers and their private equity partner, TDR Capital. - The Times

A majority of UK businesses expect a positive start to 2025, according to two economic confidence surveys which show managers planning for growth after a challenging period for the economy. About 70% of UK businesses expect their turnover to increase over the next year, up from 62% in December 2023. Meanwhile, 73% are confident of greater profitability, according to research from Lloyds bank. - Guardian

Retailers cut almost 170,000 jobs this year, the highest level since the depths of the first Covid lockdown as shopkeepers battle rising taxes and a slowdown in spending. Data published by Altus Group and the Centre for Retail Research found a total of 169,395 retail jobs have been lost so far this year, soaring by almost 42pc compared with 2023. It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 when retailers were forced to shut their stores under strict Covid rules during lockdown. - Telegraph