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☆ Unilever: Ben & Jerry’s and Magnum will form the core of an $8 billion ice cream company
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —The world’s biggest ice cream business is about to go it alone. The newly minted firm will boast five of the 10 best-selling ice cream brands worldwide, namely Magnum, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyers, Walls and Cornetto. “The future growth of Unilever and ice cream is best served by separating the business,” Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher told journalists. Philippe Wojazer/ReutersThe origins of Unilever’s ice cream business can be traced back to the summer of 1913, when Thomas Wall started selling ice cream from his family butcher shop in London. But its ice cream sales took a hit last year as cash-strapped consumers cut back on non-essential spending.

Persons: Jerry’s, “, Hein Schumacher, ” Schumacher, Miko Carte, Philippe Wojazer, Thomas Wall, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves, ”, —, Schumacher Organizations: London CNN, Unilever, ” Employees, Schumacher Locations: Saint, France, London, €

☆ Greggs overtakes McDonald’s to become king of the British breakfast
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Brits are going crazy for the bacon and sausage buns offered by Greggs, an 85-year-old chain of budget bakeries that just posted its best-ever performance. Pre-tax profit also jumped more than 13% last year to a record high of nearly £168 million ($213 million). Greggs’ breakfast meal deal — which includes a sausage, bacon or omelette-filled bun and a drink — starts at £2.85 ($3.62), and is particularly popular with customers, a company spokesperson told CNN. Sales grew to a record £1.8 billion ($2.3 billion) last year, up from £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2021. Greggs café, Tasty by Greggs, inside Primark's Oxford Street store in London in October 2022.

Persons: London CNN —, Greggs, Ireland —, McDonald’s, Roisin Currie, “ Greggs, ” Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Greggs café, John Nguyen, benedict — Greggs Benedict, Still, Alex Morton Organizations: London CNN, Ireland, CNN, Press Association, AP Locations: United Kingdom, Newcastle, England, London, Fenwick

☆ HSBC 2023 results: $3 billion China writedown hits annual profit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Of the total, $3 billion was related to BoCom, one of China’s biggest banks, while $2 billion was from selling its retail banking business in France. Separately, HSBC made $3.4 billion in provisions to cover expected credit losses and other charges related to its exposure to the commercial real estate sector in mainland China. The property market has since entered a prolonged slump, marked by an ongoing decline in real estate investment and sales of property. The charges reported by HSBC cast a shadow over its record annual profit, which came in at $30.3 billion, up 78% from 2022. In October, rival Standard Chartered reported a $186 million credit impairment charge related to commercial real estate in the country.

Persons: “, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Mark Tucker, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — HSBC, China’s Bank of Communications, HSBC, HSBC isn’t, Chartered Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, France, BoCom, Mainland China

☆ BT rises after quarterly earnings beat forecasts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A BT Group Plc logo on a EE/BT Group Plc store in London, UK, on Wednesday, May 17, 2023. BT Group, Britain's biggest broadband and mobile provider, posted a second quarter earnings beat and forecast annual cash flow at the top end of a range, lifting its shares in a parting boost for outgoing CEO Philip Jansen. Shares in BT jumped 5% in early deals, good news for Jansen who is due to step down early next year and has long said he has been disappointed by the group's stock performance. Her job will be to complete Jansen's multi-billion pound push into fibre networks and extending 5G networks, the cost of which has hit free cash flow and weighed on the share price. For the three months to the end of September, BT posted a 3% rise in adjusted core profit (EBITDA) to 2.06 billion pounds ($2.51 billion) beating the 2.03 billion pounds consensus forecast.

Persons: Philip Jansen, Jansen, Hargreaves, Matt Britzman, Allison Kirkby, Sweden's Organizations: BT, BT Group Plc, BT Group Locations: London

REUTERS/Steve Marcus/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 31 (Reuters) - Caterpillar (CAT.N) reported a double-digit rise in third-quarter profit on Tuesday, beating Wall Street estimates as strong infrastructure investments across key markets boosted demand for its high-end construction equipment in North America. The world's largest construction equipment maker's order backlog fell $2.6 billion quarter over quarter. Construction equipment demand had been resilient as the United States upgrades its roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure under a $1 trillion package approved by Congress in 2021 under the Biden administration. Machinery, Energy and Transportation equipment profit rose 48% from the year prior. Its profit rose to $2.79 billion, or $5.45 per share, outpacing an analysts' forecast of $4.79.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Kristen Owen, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Biden, outpacing, Bianca Flowers, Devika Syamnath, Louise Heavens, Mark Porter Organizations: Caterpillar, REUTERS, Wall, Oppenheimer, Co Inc, Congress, Machinery, Energy, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, North America, Texas, United States, Chicago, Bengaluru

A branch of Barclays Bank is seen, in London, Britain, February 23, 2022. Barclays shares fell nearly 7% in early trading, while shares in rivals Lloyds (LLOY.L) and NatWest (NWG.L) each dipped around 3%. SLUGGISH INVESTMENT BANKThe lender reported pre-tax profit for the July-September period of 1.9 billion pounds ($2.33 billion) on Tuesday, down from 2 billion pounds a year ago but above a consensus analyst forecast of 1.77 billion pounds. Barclays reported a 6% drop in income at its investment bank for the quarter, following a similarly downbeat performance at the half-year results update in July. ($1 = 0.8151 pounds)Reporting By Lawrence White and Iain Withers; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Venkatakrishnan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley's, Venkat, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Jes Staley, Jeffrey Epstein, Staley, Lawrence White, Iain Withers, Kirsten Donovan, Emelia Organizations: Barclays Bank, REUTERS, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, JPMorgan, Reuters, Banking, Jefferies, Revenue, Bank of America, Financial, Authority, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

The Standard Chartered bank logo is seen at their headquarters in London, Britain, July 26, 2022. The change in CFO will not likely impact Winters' departure timing greatly, Britzman said, with the StanChart CEO more focused on hitting the lender's key performance goals. De Giorgi previously held senior roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, including head of global investment banking. Before then, he worked in equity capital markets and financial institutions at Goldman Sachs (GS.N), rising to become chief operating officer for the investment bank by the time of his departure in 2012. That long period of underperformance has seen the bank's shares fall nearly 30% since Winters took over as CEO in June 2015.

Persons: Peter Nicholls, Diego De Giorgi, Andy Halford, De Giorgi, Halford, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves, Bill Winters, Frederic Oudea's, Winters, Britzman, We've, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Joe Dickerson, StanChart, underperformance, Iain Withers, Lawrence White, Radhika Anilkumar, Bernadette Baum, David Holmes Organizations: Chartered, REUTERS, Bank of America, Pegasus, British, Societe Generale, Goldman, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Pegasus Europe, Asia, Africa, Bengaluru

☆ Verizon profit beats on lower costs, surprise rise in wireless users
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Samrhitha A | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 25 (Reuters) - Verizon (VZ.N) beat quarterly profit estimates on Tuesday on the back of lower costs and a surprise rise in wireless subscribers as efforts to grow its enterprise customer base and super-fast 5G network paid off. They are still down about 5% since the July 9 Wall Street Journal report, which also named AT&T (T.N) among firms that left behind the potentially toxic lead cables. Free cash flow, a metric closely watched by investors to help determine dividend payouts, came in at $5.6 billion, above estimates of $5.05 billion, according to Visible Alpha. Total revenue fell 3.5% to $32.6 billion, missing analysts' estimates of $33.24 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Reporting by Samrhitha Arunasalam in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anthony Skiadas, Hargreaves, Matt Britzman, Verizon's, Samrhitha, Anil D'Silva Organizations: Verizon, Alpha, Consolidated, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

Appearing before the Senate Banking Committee, Powell reiterated his view that more rate hikes are likely in the months ahead. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin said he remains unconvinced that inflation is on a steady path downward, but would not prejudge what the Fed should do at its July 25-26 meeting. Investors will also monitor comments from St. Louis Fed President James Bullard, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic and Cleveland Fed's President Loretta Mester. ET, Dow e-minis were down 109 points, or 0.32%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 22 points, or 0.5%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 101.75 points, or 0.67%. Reporting by Shubham Batra, Shreyashi Sanyal and Shashwat Chauhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Tom Barkin, Louis, James Bullard, Raphael Bostic, Loretta Mester, Shubham Batra, Shreyashi Sanyal, Shashwat Chauhan, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Dow, Nasdaq, Banking, Richmond Fed, Deutsche Bank, Louis Fed, Atlanta Fed, Cleveland, Dow e, 3M, Carmax Inc, Thomson Locations: U.S, Bengaluru

☆ Vodafone's new boss to cut 11,000 jobs as cash flow to fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Della Valle said Germany, Vodafone's biggest market, was underperforming, while Spain, which has suffered cut-throat competition in recent years, was under strategic review. Underscoring the pressures on the business, Vodafone said it would generate 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) of cash this financial year, down from 4.8 billion euros in the year to end-March 2023. Analysts had expected 3.6 billion euros. For the year to end-March, pressures in Germany and higher energy costs resulted in a 1.3% decline in Vodafone's group core earnings to 14.7 billion euros, missing its own guidance. Vodafone has already started to cut jobs in its big markets, shedding 1,000 in Italy earlier this year, while a media report said it was looking to cut around 1,300 in Germany.

☆ Barclays and Deutsche profits defy banking jitters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Deutsche Bank (DB) gained 2.6%. Deutsche Bank’s shares plunged as much as 14.5% during the March 24 trading session. Deutsche Bank’s profit reached its highest in a decade, vindicating the once-struggling lender’s turnaround plan, launched in 2019. “In the first quarter, we again proved the strength and resilience of Deutsche Bank in challenging conditions,” chief financial officer James von Moltke said in a statement. Barclays and Deutsche Bank’s results contrast with the troubles at First Republic Bank in the United States.

☆ FTSE 100 slides into red as Ocado weighs
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth/FilesSummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 down 0.1%, FTSE 250 off 0.05%Wage growth rises unexpectedlyRevolution Bars Group slumpsFTSE 100 hovers over 4-1/2-year highJan 17 (Reuters) - UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 edged lower on Tuesday, snapping a four-day winning streak, as Ocado sank on grim Christmas sales at its online supermarket venture, while data showing rising pay growth fuelled fears about the Bank of England (BoE) keeping monetary policy tight. The blue-chip FTSE 100 (.FTSE) fell 0.1%, while the domestically-oriented FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 0.05%. Shares of retailer Ocado Group (OCDO.L) tumbled 5.5% after its online supermarket joint venture with Marks & Spencer (MKS.L), Ocado Retail, said customers purchased fewer items per order in the run-up to Christmas. This saw the personal care, drug and grocery index (.FTNMX452010) lose 0.9%, making it the worst performing sector. Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Unilever raises guidance but is downbeat on Europe, China consumer sentiment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Unilever on Thursday gave a dire assessment of consumer sentiment in Europe and China, two of its key markets, but raised its full year sales forecast as it lifted prices to counter soaring costs. Shoppers around the world paid 12.5% more for Unilever products in the quarter - a record price hike for the company - with sales volumes declining 1.6%. "Consumer sentiment in Europe is at an all time low," Chief Financial Officer Graeme Pitkethly told reporters, warning of fears of a "confluence of events" in Europe with energy prices and inflation rising and consumers' savings waning. "Both the premium segments of the market and the value segments of the market are actually growing quite quickly, at an equivalent rate," Pitkethly told journalists. In China, Unilever's third biggest market that has been doubling down on Covid-19 lockdowns, sales grew by 1%.

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