00:00Hello and welcome to the latest business bulletin on Thursday the 13th of March.
00:04The UK housing market slowed in February thanks to weakening buyer confidence.
00:09Buyer demand slipped to its weakest levels since November 2023.
00:13Concerns over stamp duty, interest rates, inflation and geopolitical issues
00:17appear to be dampening buyer confidence.
00:19There's more bad news for the UK economy today too.
00:22One in three investors are not confident about the prospect of positive returns this year.
00:27According to research by Nutmeg, which is owned by JP Morgan,
00:30nearly 40% of investors with more than a decade of experience don't feel good about 2025.
00:36Economic uncertainty in the UK and geopolitical turmoil were again given as the main reasons.
00:42It looks like the Prime Minister is trying to do something about the uncertainty though.
00:46Sakhir Starmer's promising to slash red tape today.
00:50He's setting out plans to reshape the entire state
00:53to cope with what he calls an era of instability.
00:55This will include cutting the cost of regulation for businesses by at least 25%.
01:01Deliveroo has posted its first full year profit despite an uncertain customer environment.
01:06The delivery app made a £2.8 million profit last year,
01:10which is up from a £31.8 million loss in 2023.
01:15John Lewis Partnership isn't paying staff a bonus for a third year in a row.
01:20Its situation has improved, with a 73% jump in pre-tax profits to £97 million.
01:26But instead of bonuses, it's prioritising reinvestment in the business.
01:31DFS Furniture seems to be performing well too.
01:33The company said today it expects its 2025 profit before tax to be between £25 million
01:39and £29 million. That's much higher than forecast.
01:43And finally, Hornby PLC, well known for its model railway products,
01:47has announced its intention to go private.
01:49The international hobbies product group is voluntarily cancelling
01:52trading on the alternative investment market.
01:55The decision's down to the board believing this will serve its shareholders better
01:58by reducing regulatory burdens and giving them more freedom to manoeuvre.
02:02That's all for today. More tomorrow.
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