Companies with reports and trading updates today include Kingfisher, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca and Shawbrook Bank. Read the Business Live blog from Monday, June 17 below.
> If you use our app or a third-party site, click here to read Business Live
Pubs are disappearing faster than expected as drinkers tighten their belts
Figures show the number of pubs disappearing from communities in England and Wales rose by a third in the first months of 2024 due to pressure on punters’ budgets.
Official government statistics show that 239 pubs were demolished or converted to other uses in the three months to March 31.
Founder of Melrose to list new company on London’s junior stock market
The founder of aerospace technology group Melrose Industries is about to list a new company on London’s junior stock market.
Former boss Simon Peckham is leading plans to launch Rosebank Industries into the AIM submarket for smaller companies. And there are talks to raise more than £40m from institutional investors.
Hopes for an interest rate cut were undermined by the elections
Hopes for a rate cut ahead of the election are likely to be dashed this week, as economists warn that lower borrowing costs later this summer are “not a done deal either.”
The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates at 5.25 percent at the Monetary Policy Committee meeting on June 20.
Green shoots for production as production grows
Confidence among UK manufacturers is at its highest level in a decade as businesses hail ‘concrete signs’ of an economic turnaround.
Closely watched corporate surveys have shown that companies’ hopes for their growth prospects have been restored.
Share or comment on this article: BUSINESS LIVE: Kingfisher poaches British Land CFO; Hikma buys assets from Xellia; AstraZeneca receives US approval
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on it, we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow a commercial relationship to compromise our editorial independence.