Skip Header
Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Monday newspaper round-up: Wilko, London house prices, supermarkets

(Sharecast News) - A union representing thousands of workers at Wilko is seeking an urgent meeting with the business secretary after being told by potential rescuers of "difficulties" in engaging with the administrators who will decide upon the stricken retail chain's future. On Monday, the GMB national secretary, Andy Prendergast, wrote to Kemi Badenoch asking her to ensure that PricewaterhouseCoopers considered all bids for the budget retailer where 12,500 jobs were hanging in the balance. - Guardian Homeowners in London have knocked £23,500 off property asking prices as soaring interest rates hit the capital harder than anywhere else in the country. Since asking prices in London peaked in May, sellers have reduced their advertised prices by 3.4pc, the largest drop of any region, according to data from Rightmove. - Guardian

Michael Gove's "London-centric" building policies are anti-driver and will fail to deliver the homes the country needs, the boss of a top British developer has claimed. Matthew Pratt, chief executive of FTSE 250 house builder Redrow, criticised the Levelling Up Secretary's proposed rules for "beautiful" designs as single-minded and impractical, arguing that restrictions on off-street parking will end up backfiring. - Telegraph

Trust in British supermarkets has fallen to the lowest level for a decade as households grapple with high prices, despite the rate of food prices inflation easing this month. The latest monthly consumer insight tracker from Which?, the consumer group, found that confidence in the grocery industry had dropped in August to the lowest level since February 2013, a time when horse DNA had been discovered in frozen beef burgers and lasagne sold in some Irish and British supermarkets. - The Times

One of Britain's leading life sciences companies is to be taken over by an American group in a $5.7 billion deal after its founder called for a change in strategy. Cambridge-based Abcam is a global supplier to the pharmaceuticals research industry. Quoted on Nasdaq, the technology-heavy New York stock exchange, it has agreed to a $24-per-share offer from Danaher under which it would continue as a standalone entity within the parent group. - The Times

Share this article

Related Sharecast Articles

Thursday newspaper round-up: CMA, Riverford, Lloyds, Arm Holdings
(Sharecast News) - The appointment of the former boss of Amazon UK to lead the competition watchdog poses a threat to its independence and pledge to hold big tech to account, according to a group including tech companies and the former business secretary Vince Cable. The group - which includes the News Media Association, the Firefox developer Mozilla, the consumer group Which? and the Future of Technology Institute - has written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to raise concerns about the appointment of Doug Gurr as the interim chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, Johnson & Johnson, BoE
(Sharecast News) - Thames Water may need as much as £10bn in debt and equity investment to repair its finances, according to a representative of creditors hoping to lend the struggling utility another £3bn. London's high court heard evidence on Tuesday that suggested the UK's largest water company may need significantly more resources than the roughly £6.3bn it has previously indicated. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Zero-hours contracts, Barclays, Asos
(Sharecast News) - Hundreds of thousands of British workers are on zero-hours contracts despite being with the same employer for years, according to analysis from the TUC. The majority of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than 12 months, while one in eight have not been granted regular employment rights after more than a decade working in the same place, the organisation said. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Apple, Daily Mail, OpenAI, Homebase
(Sharecast News) - Apple slightly beat analysts' expectations in its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025 on Thursday. The iPhone-maker's revenue rose by 4%, coming in at $124.30bn, barely above estimates of $124.12bn. Earnings per share were $2.40, just ahead of analysts' expectations of $2.35. Shares rose more than 8% in extended trading after CEO Tim Cook indicated in an earnings call on Thursday that Apple is on the trajectory for revenue growth next quarter. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

Award-winning online share dealing

Search, compare and select from thousands of shares.

Expert insights into investing your money

Our team of experts explore the world of share dealing.