Business
Thousands of Leonardo staff walk out in dispute over pay
Thousands of staff at aerospace firm Leonardo have walked out in a dispute over pay, on the first of a number of planned days of strike action.
Hundreds of workers took to picket lines at the company’s site in Edinburgh, while similar scenes are understood to have taken place at the firm’s sites throughout Scotland and England.
The walk-out came after workers rejected a 3.6% pay offer from the firm, which the Unite union said was “well below” inflation and so a real terms pay cut.
The union added that this came at a time Leonardo UK is making hundreds of millions of pounds in profit each year.
Workers on the picket line in Edinburgh gathered at the entrances to the site on Crewe Road North, waving placards and red Unite banners, and cheering whenever passing cars beeped their horns in support.
They were also asking delivery vehicles not to cross the picket line, and many – including a Royal Mail van – elected to turn around rather than do so.
One striker told the PA news agency many more workers were staying at home, and that production at the site had “stopped”.
Unite regional officer Carrie Binnie said it was the first walk-out at the company for 35 years.
“Leonardo have offered a below-inflation pay rise for their staff, and this has been rejected twice now,” she said.
“They did make an improvement last week, but it was still well below inflation, and that’s been rejected a second time.
“We had really hoped that they would come back to the table, renegotiate, meet our demands, and they’ve failed to do so, hence why we’re out on strike today.”
Ms Binnie added that the Unite union was happy to speak to the company “at any time”, and that it was willing to put any improved offer to its members.
“I like to think when Unite members take such a drastic step to take industrial action, it does refocus management on why their staff are their biggest asset and why they’re needed most,” she said.
“So if they’ve been impacted by today’s action, they should come back to the table and speak with us.”
She also acknowledged that strike action is “extremely difficult” for Unite’s members, and that the union had “tried really hard” to avoid it.
“We work really hard to negotiate with employers and get members fair deals, and usually, most employers will reach a negotiating stage, which goes through positively with their members,” she explained.
“To be forced to take action such as this is extremely difficult for our members to do, but unless Leonardo come forward with something fair that’s not a pay cut for our members, then there’s no other choice for them.”
Strikes are due at Leonardo facilities in Yeovil, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Basildon and Luton on November 12 and 13.
There will be further strikes at Edinburgh and Basildon on several dates running up to November 25.
At the Yeovil site, there will be further strikes on November 25 to 28.
A Leonardo spokesperson said: “We are obviously disappointed that the revised pay offer negotiated by senior Unite representatives and supported by full time Unite officials on behalf of Leonardo members has not been positively received by the membership.
“Strike action is now inevitable for our Leonardo UK Basildon, Edinburgh, Luton, Newcastle and Yeovil sites.
“We have taken all steps possible to minimise disruption to our business and our customers.
“We would welcome Unite back to the table in a bid to reach a resolution.”
Business
Shares of Swiss sneaker company On soar 20% as it raises guidance again
Logo of Swiss shoemaker On is displayed in a shop in Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 28, 2025.
Denis Balibouse | Reuters
On raised its full-year guidance for the third quarter in a row on Wednesday after the Swiss sportswear company posted another three months of double-digit growth, bucking a slowdown in the sneaker market.
The company, known for its innovative approach to running shoes, is now expecting 2025 sales to reach 2.98 billion Swiss francs ($3.72 billion), up from its previous guidance of 2.91 billion francs, on a reported basis. On a constant currency basis, the company anticipates sales will grow 34% from the prior year, rising from its previous forecast of 31%.
The forecast is slightly above the 2.97 billion francs analysts were expecting, according to LSEG.
“Our focus on premium, on full-price sales, on innovation, on that intersection between performance and design is just resonating very strongly with the consumer, and it’s really setting ourselves apart,” CEO Martin Hoffmann told CNBC in an interview. “You see it in the results. We have strong top-line growth, we have a strong margin, so that shows that we stay fully committed to full-price sales, and this is across all our channels.”
Shares of On jumped more than 20% in morning trading Wednesday in New York.
During its 2025 third quarter, the sportswear company beat Wall Street’s expectations on the top and bottom lines.
Here’s how On performed compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:
- Earnings per share: 47 cents in francs adjusted vs. 25 cents expected
- Revenue: 794 million francs vs. 763 million francs expected
The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Sept. 30 was 118.9 million francs, or 36 cents per share, compared with 30.5 million francs, or 9 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, On posted earnings of 43 cents per share.
Sales rose to 794.4 million francs, up about 25% from roughly 636 million francs a year earlier.
On’s rosy results come as competitors like Nike and Hoka plan for either a sales decline or slowdown in growth, as discretionary spending stagnates and tariffs take a bite out of shoppers’ wallets. In late September, Nike said it was expecting sales in its current quarter, which runs generally from early September to early December, to fall by a low single-digit percentage as it works to reignite innovation and streamline operations. Deckers, the parent company behind On’s fellow buzzy footwear brand Hoka, trimmed its sales guidance for Hoka in October.
Meanwhile, On is raising its sales guidance as it gears up for the holiday shopping season. Retail analysts expect most of the industry to lean heavily on discounts and promotions to drum up demand during the critical holiday shopping season, but On won’t even be offering a Black Friday discount, said co-founder and Executive co-Chairman Caspar Coppetti.
On will be “full price through the holiday season,” Coppetti said in an interview with CNBC. “This is against the backdrop of a very competitive and very discount-driven environment currently, and so this leveling up that we’ve done, and then just being able to command a much higher selling price, really sets On apart.”
While On is typically sold alongside brands like Nike, Hoka and Brooks Running, its holiday strategy is similar to those of luxury names. It’s part of the company’s strategy to be the most premium sportswear brand on the market by not just offering the highest prices but also the most innovative products across footwear and apparel.
Still far smaller than many of the legacy brands it competes with, On has slowly been chipping away at their market share primarily through innovation, where industry leader Nike has been criticized for falling behind.
Last year, On launched its Cloudboom Strike LS produced with its “LightSpray” technology, which makes performance running shoes using a spray gun in a matter of minutes. Runner Hellen Obiri was wearing the shoes when she broke the women’s record in the New York City Marathon by almost three minutes earlier this month.
“That’s a very strong validation,” said Coppetti. “Runners really do pay attention to what people are wearing now when they’re in a race, because these innovations trickle down and they inform their choices.”
Business
Heineken cuts strength of Foster’s lager as duty rises and sales slump
Heineken UK is cutting the strength of its Foster’s lager to take advantage of duty savings on weaker beers.
The brewer said dropping the lager’s strength from 3.7% to 3.4% would allow customers to “benefit from more competitive pricing as inflationary pressures continue to affect the wider market”.
It added: “This follows the introduction of differential duty rates by the UK government, which encourage brewers to innovate at lower ABV (alcohol by volume) rates in support of customers wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption.”
The change, which takes effect from February, would also support pubs and retailers with a “competitively priced classic lager”, it said.
Foster’s ABV was previously lowered from 4% to 3.7% in January 2023.
Heineken UK said: “The decision to adjust the ABV of Foster’s reflects our commitment to helping consumers make responsible choices, while supporting pubs and retailers with a competitively priced classic lager alongside a portfolio of brands across the price and ABV spectrum.
“Our master brewers have spent many months refining the recipe to ensure the taste remains unmistakably Foster’s – crisp, balanced, and refreshing.”
Off-trade sales of Foster’s fell by 13.7% to £252.8 million in the year to April, according to NIQ data.
A number of products have been reformulated since the introduction of new duty savings on beers with an ABV of 3.4% or below in August 2023, including Carlsberg Pilsner, Coors Light and Grolsch.
Business
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