Latest news with #Speke
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
B&M sees profits fall 13 per cent to £431million – as shoppers cut back on spending
BUDGET retailer B&M has seen profits fall 13 per cent to £431million as shoppers cut back on spending. The chain blamed poor weather at the start of its financial year for 'very subdued' sales of its garden centre range. 3 And price cuts to attract customers are said to have reduced revenue from homeware, toys and electricals, and led to a profit warning in February. Nevertheless, the opening of 36 new stores has seen revenues grow by 3.8 per cent to £4.5billion in the year to March. The retailer now has 777 stores in the UK, as well as 343 Heron Foods and B&M Express outlets, and 135 shops in France. The chain, which was founded in Speke in 1978, said it had adjusted its range to include more products at higher prices, which had boosted both the volume and value of sales in recent months. B&M said: 'The underlying market trend towards discount retail continues, and the group's value proposition will continue to resonate with consumers.' Boss Alex Russo left in April but his successor Tjeerd Jegen is not due to take over until the middle of this month. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said: 'The imminent arrival of a new CEO cannot come soon enough. 'Investors will be looking for the new boss to do a thorough review of the business, work out what's gone wrong and outline a plan to get back on top.' Shares in the chain plunged by 12 per cent yesterday. Mr Mould added: 'Shrinking profits, reduced cash flow and higher net debt frame a poor year for B&M. B&M launches their children's outdoor range which is perfect for summer - there's a £2 bargain that'll easily keep the kids entertained 'It should have mopped up extra business from cash-strapped people looking for bargains.' ALAS WH SMITH & TG JONES… WH SMITH said it is on track to complete the £75million sale of its high street chain — which will see its name changed to TG Jones. Its purchase by Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital, expected this month, means WH Smith, which opened its first branch in 1729, will quit the high street. 3 The 480 shops will become branches of TG Jones, with all staff moving to the newly named business. Sales at WH Smith's travel division, including shops in airports and stations, rose 5 per cent in the past three months. HEALTHY SERVING THE service sector returned to growth last month as customer confidence improved and fears over punishing US tariffs receded. The S&P Global UK services PMI survey produced a positive score of 50.9 in May from April's negative of 49, boosted by recovering global markets. The report also showed optimism among businesses rose to its highest since October. But service firms warned increased business uncertainty and budget pressure over higher labour costs 'continued to dampen demand'. PARAGON SURGE SPECIALIST lender Paragon Bank enjoyed a profits surge of 26.7 per cent to £149.4million in the past six months. Home lending soared as borrowers rushed to complete before the stamp duty holiday ended in early April. New lending surged by a quarter over six months to the end of March to £810million. Paragon made a £6.5million provision for its motor finance business while it waited for a court ruling, which could cost Lloyds Bank £1.2billion. The Supreme Court is to make a ruling in the summer. A GOLDEN YEAR FOR BROKER HIGH gold prices helped pawnbroker Ramsdens' profits rise 54 per cent in the past six months to £6.1million. The precious metal topped $3,500 per troy ounce for the first time on record in April, boosting interest among customers eager to cash in on jewellery. The Middlesbrough -based chain sells it in its 169 stores, online or to a bullion dealer. Revenues for its jewellery shop also surged 18 per cent year on year. Boss Peter Kenyon said: 'The gold price allows us to pay the customer more, means we make more as well, and also helps pawnbroking a bit with some of the recoveries when people don't pay us back.' Rival pawnbroker H&T last month agreed to be bought by US giant Firstcash for nearly £300million. Mr Kenyon said: 'If someone came with a big chequebook we'd have to listen.' ECONOMY FAITH FALL CONFIDENCE in the state of our economy has fallen from 45 per cent to just 28 per cent in the past ten years. A series of economic blows, including the cost-of-living crisis, Brexit, Covid pandemic and geopolitical upheaval, has dented our optimism, according to the Barclays Ten Years of Spend report. But confidence in non-essential spending has held strong, at an average of 53 per cent, the report said.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
ScribeCanada to Showcase Care Team Support Solutions at Two Leading Healthcare Conferences this Spring
VANCOUVER, B.C., May 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ScribeCanada , a care team support solutions provider, is excited to announce its participation in two leading healthcare conferences this spring. From May 23-28, ScribeCanada will attend the International Conference on Emergency Medicine (ICEM) in Montréal, engaging with emergency healthcare providers and administrators to share how on-site, remote, and AI support solutions are helping teams manage increasing patient volumes and staffing shortages. The company will exhibit at booth #119. The following week, ScribeCanada will attend e-Health 2025, Canada's largest national digital health conference, from June 1-3 in Toronto, exhibiting at booth #79. The company will highlight innovative AI and workforce solutions that transform the provider and patient experience at the point of care, in alignment with the objective of the e-Health conference. 'We're very excited to attend these conferences and learn more about the problems we can help solve. We hope to support care teams across Canada by providing solutions that increase patient access to care through efficiency,' said Brian Hudson, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at ScribeCanada. 'When providers are supported, the entire care experience improves, for patients, staff, and systems.' At both conferences, attendees can learn more about ScribeCanada's workforce solutions and the ambient AI solution, Speke . With support for both English and French, Speke is equipped to meet the needs of Canada's diverse patient populations. Speke's AI technology offers real-time speech recognition that adapts to each provider's preferences, ensuring accuracy and saving time in clinical documentation. ScribeCanada's attendance at these two major healthcare events highlights its commitment to Canadian healthcare organizations. With scalable workforce solutions, the ability to adapt to the challenges providers are facing today, and a proven track record of integration into clinical environments, the company continues to be a trusted partner, empowering healthcare teams to meet rising patient needs without compromising quality or efficiency. For more information about ScribeCanada, visit . ### About ScribeCanada: ScribeCanada is a nationwide provider enablement company solving the daily problems that challenge healthcare organizations. ScribeCanada leverages a unique workforce and advanced AI to deliver cost-effective, turnkey solutions that improve healthcare delivery at the point of care, allowing organizations to operate more effectively. With over 20 years of delivering innovative care team solutions to over 600 partners and over 3,000 care sites, ScribeCanada sets the standard for combining customizable workforce solutions and enterprise-grade AI.
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Blame ministers for AstraZeneca U-turn
Re Nils Pratley's column (AstraZeneca's £450m Speke U-turn looks terrible for a pro-growth government, 3 February), when I was minister of health from 1974 to 1976 under Barbara Castle as secretary of state, I was the sponsoring minister for the pharmaceutical industry, a responsibility I took very seriously. Despite a very heavy national workload, I travelled to Brazil and Russia to promote the industry, and had as an adviser a former chief executive of a pharmaceutical company. Losing AstraZeneca's £450m investment in Liverpool would have been impossible in this ministerial structure that was very close to the industry. The present ministerial decision-making structure is clearly OwenLondon Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
