Unilever

Source: Unilever

Unilever reported better than expected operating margins in the first half on lower input costs and higher prices carried over from previous quarters, offsetting disappointing sales growth due to increased discounting (The Financial Times £).

The boss of Unilever hailed the “first signs of success” of his turnaround plan after it increased its profitability in the first half of the year (The Times £).

Unilever, the owner of Marmite, Dove and Ben & Jerry’s, has defended price rises continuing despite a better-than-expected 17% increase in profits (The Guardian).

Unilever has reported worse than expected underlying quarterly sales, but improving profit margins drove the consumer giant’s shares to the top of the FTSE 100 on Thursday morning (The Mail).

John Lewis has won approval for the first of its flagship housing developments after councillors shot down local opposition to approve the controversial scheme (The Telegraph £).

Shoppers at a French supermarket will be able to pay at the checkout with just a swipe of their hand from next week as new biometric technology is rolled out at a Carrefour store in Paris (The Telegraph £).

Ecommerce company THG is set to cut 171 jobs across various divisions and has insisted that people return to the office five days a week (The Financial Times £).

The private equity giant Apollo Global Management is on the brink of a deal to buy Evri, the British parcel delivery company, in a £2.7bn deal, according to Sky News.

British American Tobacco is set to miss a headline target to generate £5bn of revenue from its new categories next year, blaming the illicit vaping market in the United States (The Times £).

The Dunhill and Lucky Strike owner has invested billions in recent years developing e-cigarettes, heated tobacco brands and modern oral products amid growing demand for healthier alternatives to smoking (The Mail).

The owner of some of Britain’s biggest shopping centres has suffered a £500m loss from this week’s sale of Bicester Village, although there are signs that rents and valuations of shopping centres have finally reached the bottom (The Times £).

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