6:46 am, December 11, 2024
Avanti West Coast train managers to strike in dispute over rest day working
Train managers at Avanti West Coast are to strike in a dispute over rest day working.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out on December 22, 23 and 29. Union members voted overwhelmingly against the company’s proposals.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Avanti West Coast’s proposals have been decisively rejected by our train managers, sending a clear message to management that the current arrangements are unacceptable.’
Poundland takes £640m hit on Budget costs and sales woes
Poundland’s owner has slumped to an annual loss after taking a 775 million euro (£640m) hit on the discount chain, blaming soaring costs from recent Budget moves and falling sales.
Pepco swung to a pre-tax loss of 554 million euros (£457m) for the year to September 30, against profits of 159 million euros (£131m) a year ago after booking the write-down on Poundland, citing a ‘significant decline in performance in 2023-24 and weaker outlook for profitability amid increasing competitive and cost challenges’.
The group said it was facing a ‘higher cost outlook in the UK following the recent Budget’. Trading has also come under intense pressure at Poundland, with like-for-like sales dropping 3.6% over the year due to a poor performance in clothing and general merchandise as the group switched to Pepco-sourced ranges.
The Mercedes-AMG Purespeed is a tribute to the firm’s motorsport heritage
Mercedes-AMG has revealed its latest limited-edition supercar to pay tribute to the firm’s motorsport heritage with the Purespeed.
Based on the SL, the Purespeed has a bespoke front-end and features no windscreen, instead having a F1-esque ‘halo’.
Under the bonnet there’s a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that produces 584bhp and 800Nm of torque. Only 250 examples of the Purespeed will be made globally, and prices are yet to be revealed.
The markets
Global stocks were mixed on Tuesday, while the UK’s FTSE 100 was dragged lower amid a sell-off for Ashtead shares after it revealed plans to ditch its main London listing. The FTSE index lost 71.72 points, or 0.86%, to close at 8,280.36.
It was a weaker session for France’s top stock market index, the Cac 40, which closed 1.14% lower; Germany’s Dax struggled to keep its head above the water and closed 0.08% lower.
The pound was up about 0.05% against the US dollar, at 1.276, and up 0.4% against the euro, at 1.213.
Stormont votes to extend post-Brexit trade arrangements for four more years
The Stormont Assembly has voted to extend post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland for another four years.
The vote to continue with the contentious arrangements passed on a straight majority basis after a lengthy and at times ill-tempered and fractious debate at Parliament Buildings, with 48 MLAs voting in favour and 36 voting against.
The debate and vote were required under the democratic consent mechanism in the UK and EU’s Windsor Framework deal and were designed to give local elected representatives a say on the trade rules that now operate in the region.
Government sets target for 14,000 prison cell spaces by 2031
The government has said it will build four new prisons within the next seven years in a bid to grip the overcrowding crisis.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) promised to find a total of 14,000 cell spaces in jails by 2031.
Some 6,400 of these will be at newly built prisons, with £2.3bn towards the cost over the next two years.
Big Motoring World sales executive killed colleague in horror 100mph collision with lorry, court hears
A Big Motoring World employee, Ivan Zailac, crashed his BMW at nearly 100mph into a lorry, killing colleague Stephanie Nye-Diroyan in Enfield, London. Dash-cam and airbag data revealed reckless speed in wet conditions. Zailac faces allegations of causing death by dangerous driving.
Tom Hartley Jnr reveals two nation states are interested in buying Ecclestone collection
As previously reported on Car Dealer, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is selling his 69 iconic Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars through dealer Tom Hartley Jnr. It has now been revealed that two nations have shown interest in purchasing the entire collection.
£300k one-of-ones and brushed gold paint: Car Dealer explores Genesis’ luxury Dubai showroom
Car Dealer takes around Genesis’s ultra luxury Dubai showroom. The 900-square metre showroom opened in late 2023 and is seen as the brand’s ‘crown jewels’. The site offers bespoke ‘one-of-one programme on high spec cars.
Close Brothers confirms two new appointments to senior leadership positions
Close Brothers has restructured its leadership team amid recovery from a motor finance crisis. Clare Bradley becomes commercial director, focusing on product strategy, while Neil Leonard is promoted to marketing director, emphasising innovation and customer-centric growth under CEO Seán Kemple’s leadership.
Weather
A cloudy day for southern areas and far northern Scotland, reports BBC Weather. Elsewhere, there will be wintry sunshine but it’ll be cold. Highs of eight degrees.
Tonight will be cloudy for the south with the odd chance of a shower. Dry elsewhere.
