The struggling US owner of Boots has shelved plans for a multibillion-pound sale for the second time, leaving the high street chemist at risk of a further squeeze on investment in its stores (Telegraph £). Boots is facing an increasingly uncertain future as the crisis that is engulfing its American owner deepens (Daily Mail).
Shares in Walgreens Boots Alliance sank to a 27-year low after the drugstore chain cut its profit outlook and announced more store closures, citing a difficult pharmacy business and strained American consumers (Financial Times £)
Signs that a takeover by a big US peer is back on track lifted DS Smith to the top of the blue-chip leaderboard. (Daily Mail)
Shares in DS Smith jumped by more than 12% to the top of the FTSE 100 risers’ board on Thursday after Suzano, a Brazilian pulp maker, walked away from a proposed $15bn takeover of International Paper, based in the US. (The Times £).
The chairman and senior independent director of Adnams were given a bloody nose on Thursday when investors speaking for more than a third of the brewer’s shares voted against their re-election. (The Times £)
Amazon faces a £2.7bn legal action for “anticompetitive conduct” over claims that the technology group discriminates in favour of its own retail offers. (The Times £)
New research has shown that the cost of a tube of toothpaste at some times of the year can be double its price at other times. The price of other popular health products such as Gillette razors can also double depending when they are bought. (The Guardian)
Confidence among British businesses fell from an eight-year high in June and hiring intentions slipped to the weakest in three months in the run-up to the general election next week. (The Times £)
No comments yet