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A Barclays bank building is seen at Canary Wharf in London, Britain May 17, 2017. Barclays distributed a presentation on its domestic merchant acquiring unit to potential bidders - mainly specialist payments providers - over the summer, two of the people said, but plans may still be altered or dropped entirely. Our businesses continue to perform well and growing our global payments business is a priority for us." The group drafted in consultants to prepare separate financials for its domestic merchant acquiring operation in an initiative known internally as Project Hyperion, one of the people said. Barclays is also gauging interest in its German consumer finance operations, known as Barclaycard Germany.

Persons: Stefan Wermuth, Sanpaolo, Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, Milana, Lawrence White, Elisa Martinuzzi, Susan Fenton Organizations: Barclays, REUTERS, Barclays Plc, Reuters, Chief, CS Venkatakrishnan, Spain's Banco Sabadell, Italy's, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Germany, New York

☆ Fact Check-Liverpool Barclaycard building not being converted to house asylum seekers, says council
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A former bank building in Kirkby, Liverpool, in the north of England, is being refurbished for use as offices and is not being converted to house asylum seekers, as social media users claim. Posts circulating online say the former bank building, which is currently being refurbished, is to be converted to house “up to 2,000 asylum seekers” without the knowledge of the public. It said proposals to house asylum seekers would require planning approval from the council, with planning approval subject to public consultation. The building is in fact being promoted as office accommodation, according to Knowsley Council and agents for the building. A former Barclaycard building in Liverpool is being refurbished for use as offices, not to house asylum seekers, according to Knowsley Council and surveyors for the building.

Persons: it’s, Phil Morley, Read Organizations: Knowsley Council, “, “ Kirkby Town Centre, Barclays Bank, … Workers, Reuters Locations: Kirkby, Liverpool, England, “ Kirkby

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Barclays (BARC.L) is studying options for its global payments activities as a part of broader review into how it allocates resources, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Barclays has already engaged at least one major consultancy firm and may hire others to split assignments, this person said. "Our three businesses continue to perform well and our business mix is robust - growing our global payments business is a priority for us," a Barclays spokesperson said. The payments study comes as Barclays had also drafted Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to conduct a strategy review of the entire banking group, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. How the bank should allocate resources between more predictable retail business and volatile returns from the investment bank has attracted investor scrutiny.

Persons: Amy, Jo Crowley, Pablo Mayo, Stefania Spezzati, Lawrence White, Alexander Smith Organizations: Barclays, Reuters, Britain's, Barclaycard, Boston Consulting, Bloomberg, BNP, HSBC, Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro, Thomson Locations: London

☆ Here are Wednesday's biggest analyst calls: Netflix, Apple, Tesla, Amazon, Bowlero, Exxon & more
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

UBS upgrades Exxon to buy from neutral UBS said in its upgrade of the oil and gas giant that it likes the company's balance sheet. Bank of America reiterates Meta as buy Bank of America says it likes "self-help stocks in an uncertain macro." Bank of America reiterates Nvidia as buy Bank of America raised its price target on the AI beneficiary to $340 per share from $310. Bank of America downgrades CDW to neutral from buy Bank of America downgraded the technology products company after its disappointing earnings report on Tuesday. Wolfe reiterates Amazon as outperform Wolfe says it's standing by its outperform rating on the stock heading into earnings next week. "

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☆ UK consumer spending fails to keep pace with inflation: surveys
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British consumer spending ticked up last month at a rate that greatly lagged behind inflation, according to surveys on Tuesday that underscored the pressure on household budgets ahead of the Christmas holidays. Barclaycard said spending on its credit and debit cards rose 3.9% year-on-year in November, far behind the annual 11.1% increase in consumer prices in October that was the highest reading in 41 years. Some 94% of Britons surveyed by Barclaycard said they were concerned about the impact of soaring household energy bills on their personal finances. Many Brits intend to reduce festive spending on presents and parties in an effort to save money," said Esme Harwood, director at Barclaycard. However, sales growth remained far below current inflation, suggesting volumes continued to be down on last year," said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson.

☆ Britain's grocery inflation falls for first time in 21 months -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation edged lower in November, a first decline in nearly two years, but remained near record highs, providing little relief for consumers ahead of the key Christmas trading period, industry data showed on Tuesday. Market researcher Kantar said grocery inflation in the four weeks to Nov. 27 was 14.6%, down 0.1 percentage points from October's record high, marking the first fall in 21 months. Prices are rising fastest in markets such as milk, dog food and butter, said Kantar. It said grocery sales rose 5.9% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to Nov. 27, masking a drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. Kantar said its data did not indicate a significant boost to sales from the soccer World Cup, which started Nov. 20.

☆ UK Cyber Monday transactions up 5% vs 2021 - Barclaycard Payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The volume of payments made in Britain on so-called Cyber Monday was up 5.0% compared to the same point in 2021, data from Barclaycard Payments showed. "Despite a challenging economic backdrop, shoppers have made the most of the discounts on offer, with today’s data following an encouraging Black Friday and strong weekend both online and in-store," its head Marc Pettican said. Barclaycard Payments, which says it processes nearly 1 pound ($1.20) in every 3 pounds spent on credit and debit cards in the UK, said Black Friday payment transactions were up 3.59% year-on-year. Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK Black Friday shopper traffic up 3.7% - Sensormatic
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Black Friday shopper numbers across Britain rose 3.7% year-on-year, according to data from Sensormatic Solutions, providing some relief to the country's beleaguered retailers. The increase was driven by high streets, where footfall was up 13.9% year-on-year. However, shopper numbers on Black Friday were still down 21.3% on pre-pandemic levels, Sensormatic said. Separate data from Barclaycard Payments showed the volume of Black Friday payment transactions rose 3.2% compared to 2021. Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Mike HarrisonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK Black Friday transactions up 0.7% vs 2021 so far -Barclaycard Payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The volume of Black Friday payment transactions in Britain as of 1300 GMT was up 0.7% versus 2021, data from Barclaycard Payments showed on Friday. Barclaycard Payments, which processes nearly 1 pound ($1.21) in every 3 pounds spent on credit and debit cards in the UK, said the volume of transactions was up 4.9% versus 2019. ($1 = 0.8269 pounds)Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK Black Friday transactions up 3.2% vs 2021 so far -Barclaycard Payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The volume of Black Friday payment transactions in Britain as of 1700 GMT was up 3.2% compared to 2021, data from Barclaycard Payments showed on Friday. Barclaycard Payments processes nearly 1 pound ($1.21) in every 3 pounds spent on credit and debit cards in the UK. "This is encouraging news for retailers who will have been unsure about the outcome of today, given the rising cost-of-living," its head, Marc Pettican, said. ($1 = 0.8269 pounds)Reporting by James Davey. Editing by Andrew MacAskillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British grocery inflation hit record 14.7% in October -Kantar
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( James Davey | Lucy Craymer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Too early to call peak of inflation, Kantar saysBritons face 682-pound jump in annual grocery billSales of cheapest-value own-label ranges soarDiscounters Aldi, Lidl are fastest growing grocersLONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British grocery inflation hit 14.7% in October, another new record, and it is still too early to call the ceiling, market researcher Kantar said on Tuesday. It said UK consumers would face a 682-pound ($785) jump in their annual grocery bill if they continued to buy the same items. Kantar said 27% of UK households reported that they are struggling financially - double the proportion it recorded last November. Kantar said grocery sales rose by 5.2% on a value basis in the 12 weeks to Oct. 30 year-on-year - masking a drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for. Sales of own-label goods, which are generally cheaper than branded goods, jumped 10.3% over the four weeks to Oct. 30, while sales of branded goods rose 0.4%.

LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - British businesses fear a gloomy Christmas ahead, as almost half of households plan to cut festive spending due to the soaring cost of living and sales are already falling sharply in inflation-adjusted terms. "Christmas will come later than last year for many and there may be more gloom than glitter as families focus on making ends meet, particularly as mortgage payments rise," BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said. The BRC's measure of like-for-like sales, which adjusts for changes in retailers' floor space, slowed to 1.2% in October from September's 1.8%. "The small rise in sales masked a much larger drop in volumes once inflation is accounted for," the BRC said. Britain's official retail sales data, which cover more shops than the BRC figures and is adjusted for inflation, showed sales volumes excluding fuel dropped 6.2% year-on-year in September.

☆ Nights in and packed lunches - Britons seek savings to cover energy bills
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Phil NobleLONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Britons are spending more nights in, taking packed lunches to work and eschewing new clothes and treats to ensure they can cover rising energy bills this autumn and winter, according to data from Barclaycard published on Tuesday. Barclaycard's survey data found 53% of Britons are planning to cut down on discretionary spending to be able to afford their energy bills. The data showed 51% of Britons are planning to spend more evenings at home over the coming months. Barclaycard said 65% of Britons were looking for ways to save energy at home. It highlighted a jump in sales of slow cookers, air fryers and sandwich makers, which generally use less energy.

☆ Britons turn to electric blankets and candles as winter looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Sarah Young | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Market research released on Tuesday showed that grocery inflation hit another new record of 13.9% in September, deepening the cost-of-living crisis, while BRC-KPMG data showed people were investing in items to help them save cash. Nine out of 10 people surveyed by Barclaycard in Britain from Sept. 23-26 said they were concerned about household energy bills. Over half of those surveyed by Barclaycard said they were planning to cut down on discretionary spending so they can afford their energy bills this winter, with nights out most likely to be canned. Rival JD Wetherspoon's said last week that its sales had been boosted by young people drinking cocktails and spirits. Coffee and sandwich chain Pret A Manger said on Tuesday that it would raise staff pay for a second time this year.

☆ UK consumer spending lags far behind inflation, BRC and Barclaycard surveys show
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Andy Bruce | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - British consumer spending grew last month at a rate that lagged behind inflation by a long way, according to surveys on Tuesday that underlined the risk of recession as the cost-of-living crisis rumbles on. Barclaycard said spending on its credit and debit cards rose 1.8% year-on-year in September, the weakest reading since February 2021 and far behind the annual 9.9% increase in consumer prices in August. Nine out of ten people surveyed by Barclaycard from Sept. 23-26 said they were concerned by rising household energy bills. "While UK retail sales grew in September, this represented another month of falling sales volumes given high levels of inflation," said Helen Dickinson, the BRC's chief executive. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andy Bruce; editing by David MillikenOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

What are credit card and bank rewards points worth? One great feature of the program is that all points are equal, so any account that earns Membership Rewards points has access to transfer partners. If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards customer, you'll earn 25% to 75% more points, depending on how much you have on deposit, but your rewards points are still worth 1 cent apiece. However, those miles expire after 36 months regardless of your account activity, so only transfer miles when you have immediate plans to redeem them. Non-elite members may transfer points to other members with the same address, provided both parties have been members for at least one year.

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Our experts answer readers' credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here's how we assess credit cards). The author of this article, Holly Johnson, has 26 credit cards, but she pays zero dollars in interest every month. This includes a combination of travel credit cards, business credit cards, cash-back credit cards, and flexible credit cards, basically all the various cards that give me free stuff when I spend money. It's easy to assume having lots of credit cards is the best way to rack up soul-crushing credit-card debt. Use a written monthly budgetThe best way to avoid debt with or without credit cards is using a written budget every month.

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