
'Bad bank' Nama on course to have returned €5.5bn to State
Set up in 2009, the State-run "bad bank" used €32 billion of debt to rid banks of €74 billion worth of risky property loans following a banking collapse.
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It has so far returned €4.7 billion to the State from surplus cash and corporation tax after selling almost all of its loans and properties.
It will transfer the remaining €800 million by the end of the year, Nama said in a statement.

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Daily Mail
23 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
New car sales stall as buyers 'delay' EV purchases on discount updates
New car sales fell 5 per cent last month as motor industry bosses said Britons had 'delayed' purchases of electric vehicles as they awaited confirmation of Government-supplied discounts. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Tuesday confirmed that 140,154 new cars were registered in July, down from 147,517 on the same month in 2024. Sales of new petrol, diesel and conventional hybrid cars all stalled, falling 15 per cent, 8 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. And while plug-in hybrid registrations were up a third, growth in electric car demand eased to just 9 per cent year-on-year. The SMMT pointed to the Government's Electric Car Grant (ECG) announcement last month, which promises to slash the price of some new EVs by up to £3,750. However, details of which models will be eligible for the scheme - and how much money will be knocked off their recommended retail price - has only started to filter through this week. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes blamed July's 'dip' on consumer's awaiting 'certainty' about which EVs are going to have their prices reduced. Despite falling sales of other fuel types, EVs still only held a 21.3 per cent share of the new car market last month. At least 28 per cent of new cars sold by each manufacturer in the UK this year are required to be electric under the Government's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate. With industry execs raising concerns about achieving the mandate's annually increasing targets, ministers last month announced the return of EV purchase subsidies in the hope that reduced pricing will accelerate sales. A £650million taxpayer-backed fund has been confirmed, which will see the grant scheme run until 2029, ministers have said. However, car makers are currently still in the process of applying for eligibility to the ECG, which is only available to battery models priced under £37,000. There are also additional stipulations in regard to qualifying for the scheme based on the emissions and sustainability of EV and battery production for each manufacturer. Only the greenest-made electric models will be eligible for the full £3,750 allowance, while those that don't quite meet the criteria will only be granted £1,500 off their RRPs. Car makers that fall well short of the emissions requirements won't receiving grants at all. The first electric car models eligible for new Government grants were announced on Tuesday. Drivers will be able to save £1,500 with the purchase of new Citroen e-C3, e-C4, e-C5 and e-Berlingo cars. The scheme will enable motorists purchasing a new electric car to save either £1,500 or £3,750, depending on the vehicle's sustainability. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: 'July's dip shows yet again the new car market's sensitivity to external factors, and the pressing need for consumer certainty. 'Confirming which models qualify for the new EV grant, alongside compelling manufacturer discounts on a huge choice of exciting new vehicles, should send a strong signal to buyers that now is the time to switch. 'That would mean increased demand for the rest of this year and into next, which is good news for the industry, car buyers and our environmental ambitions.' Jon Lawes, managing director at Novuna Vehicle Solutions, said the ECG's 'rushed rollout and limited industry consultation' has caused major confusion for consumers and car makers alike. 'Manufacturers are scrambling to work out which models apply while consumers are left in limbo, wondering if they'll actually get up to £3,750 in savings – risking a slowdown in demand, particularly in private sales, which continue to lag behind fleets. 'And excluding used EVs is a missed opportunity to improve affordability and buyer confidence.' While brands including Abarth, DS, Fiat and Chinese maker Great Wall Motor will attribute July sales declines in the region of 40 to over 90 per cent on the grants decision, Tesla - which is not eligible for subsidies due to all its cars being over £37k - posted a huge 60 per cent fall in registrations last month. It comes as the backlash against Elon Musk has seen sales of Tesla cars plummet across Europe in 2025. The SMMT slightly upgraded its forecast for full-year new car registrations, to 1.9 million. Registrations in 2024 reached 1.95 million. EVs are forecast to hold a full-year market share of 23.8 per cent - more than 4 percentage points below the ZEV mandate's requirement. Sue Robinson, chief exec at the National Franchised Dealer Association, which represents hundreds of showrooms up and down the UK, said: 'We expect electric vehicles sales to continue to increase as a result of the Government's Electric Car Grant, however they remain someway off the ZEV Mandate targets for 2025. 'Once the consumer has a clear understanding of the ECG and manufacturers have applied the grant discount of £3,750, an uptake in registrations should increase.' Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, said the grant has provided a 'much-needed boost' for consumer interest in new electric cars, with EV consideration up 10 percentage points on Auto Trader. But the unveiling of the initiative on July 14 explains why it was a 'slow' month for sales as buyers 'wait to see just which models will get what level of grant'. He added that discounts – either through the grant or by brands cutting prices themselves – will 'trickle through to EV sales in the coming months'. Also driving down sales last month was a 6.5 per cent fall in fleet registrations, while private purchases fell less significantly by only 3 per cent. In terms of the most popular models, Ford's Puma and Kia's Sportage continue to dominate the market. Over 4,400 examples of each were snapped up last month, extending their lead at the top of the 2025 sales charts.


The Independent
24 minutes ago
- The Independent
Domino's profits fall as people order fewer takeaways
Domino 's Pizza Group has warned it will miss its annual profit targets after opening fewer new stores than anticipated, citing cautious franchisees and a downturn in consumer confidence. The pizza delivery business saw its shares plunge in early trading following the announcement. The fast-food giant attributed the slowdown in expansion to its franchisees adopting a "cautious" approach, primarily driven by increased labour costs stemming from the government 's recent budget. This, coupled with what the company described as "weaker" sentiment among its customer base, has led to the revised profit outlook. Domino 's joins a growing list of high street hospitality businesses, including Greggs, that have recently flagged "tougher" market conditions and mounting pressure on customer demand. The pizza chain, which operates 1,381 outlets across the UK and Ireland, confirmed on Tuesday that its sales growth has been directly impacted by "weak" consumer confidence over recent months. Andrew Rennie, chief executive of Domino's, said: 'There's no getting away from the fact that the market has become tougher both for us and our franchisees, and that's meant that the positive performance across the first four months didn't continue into May and June. 'Given weaker consumer confidence, increased employment costs and uncertainty ahead of the autumn statement, franchisees are taking a more cautious approach to store openings for the time being.' It said this has caused a 'short-term slowdown' in new stores but stressed that it expects this to pick up again next year. Domino's has opened 11 new stores so far this year and expects overall openings in the 'mid-20s' this financial year. The company had previously said it expected to open 'in excess of 50 new stores' this year. It came as the group also warned that profits would miss previous guidance due to weaker trading. Domino's told shareholders that it expects to deliver earnings between £130 million and £140 million for the year. It had previously said it was due to meet market expectations of between £140.8 million and £149.7 million. It came as the business revealed that system sales grew 1.3 per cent to £777.8 million for the 26 weeks to June 29. Like-for-like sales were 0.1 per cent lower for the half-year, as a positive first quarter was offset by a 0.7 per cent decline in the second quarter, when delivery orders 'weakened'. The group added that 'softer' trading improved towards the end of July. Mr Rennie stressed that 'weakness' in consumer sentiment has weighed on the whole sector, highlighting that the firm has continued to grow market share despite recent pressure. He also highlighted that franchisees are keen for certainty over the Government's next budget as they assess investment plans for the year ahead. He told the PA news agency: 'Our franchisees are mainly concerned about uncertainty ahead of the upcoming budget. 'We want to see stability so that we, and our franchisees, can be confident in our investment plans. 'We don't want to see an increase in the quantum of costs on small businesses because you have to make these sustainable to support any growth agenda.'


Daily Mail
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Major supermarket cuts another 3,600 jobs as it slashes staff costs
Morrisons slashed more than 3,600 jobs last year as the embattled retailer turned a profit for the first time since its 2021 private equity takeover. The group, which cut more than 8,800 jobs in 2023, saw its headcount fall from 104,819 to 101,144 in the 12 months to 27 October 2024, Companies House accounts published this week show. Cost cutting efforts helped Morrisons swing to a pre-tax profit of £2.1billion for 2024, having suffered losses of £919million and £1.3billion in the previous two years respectively. However, it saw group revenues slump from £18.3billion to £17billion for the year. Morrisons' market share has increasingly come under pressure from European discounters, with Lidl poised to take its spot as Britain's fifth largest supermarket after double-digit growth in the second quarter. The group has already lost its position as the fourth-biggest grocer in Britain to Aldi. Boss Rami Baitieh is attempting to engineer a recovery at Morrisons, which was acquired by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) in a debt-fuelled £7billion deal in October 2021. Job losses in the year to the end of October 2024 were compounded in March when Morrisons announced it cut more than 350 jobs across its cafes, convenience stores, florists and fresh food counters following the introduction of higher labour costs in last year's Autumn Budget. Morrisons is now alone among the supermarket sector in pushing ahead with staff cuts, with Aldi, Tesco and Sainsbury's all announcing job losses since the Autumn Budget. Mr Baitiéh - an ex air force colonel, dubbed 'Mr Fixit' – said in March: 'The changes… are a necessary part of our plans to renew and reinvigorate Morrisons and enable us to focus our investment into the areas that customers really value and that can play a full part in our growth.'