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Business news live: The firms bidding for Costa Coffee and Nvidia share price falls

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Business news live: The firms bidding for Costa Coffee and Nvidia share price falls



Costa Coffee: How much will it cost and what happens next?

Reports suggest Costa Coffee could be on the market for around £2bn.

That’s half of what it was bought for six years ago but coffee sales in the UK are below the level now from when Coca-Cola bought it.

There are more than 2,000 stores in the UK and Costa operates across 50 different countries, though Coca-Cola have not released figures on total stores or employees worldwide.

Costa has about 38% of the UK coffee market share according to research, but it is under pressure from cheaper alternatives like Gregg’s, and more upmarket offerings such as local specialist coffee boutiques or independent cafes.

Add in increased employer costs this year in the UK and it’s clearly a tough time for many businesses right now – though it’s still one which recorded revenues of £1.2bn in 2023.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 10:00

Costa Coffee up for sale: Who wants to buy it?

Costa Coffee is a UK high street staple. You see it pretty much everywhere: main shops, inside shopping centres, even within petrol stations in a tiny kiosk or machine.

But it’s not a standalone company; Costa was bought by Coca-Cola in 2019 for nearly £4bn.

Since then the drinks firm has struggled to integrate it properly within its wider ecosystem and doesn’t feel the brand is generating the return it wanted. So, it’s up for sale – potentially at least, as one of several possible outcomes of a review.

At present there are three main parties who seem to be at least exploring a deal.

Apollo Global Management is the eventual parent of restaurants like Wagamama, and Bar Burrito.

KKR is a US-based private equity firm who have also held early talks, according to reports.

And Sky News initially reported a “small number” of firms who may have had exploratory talks.

There’s still a chance a sale doesn’t go through, but bids are expected in October.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 09:45

Reeves ‘plots tax raid on landlords’ to help plug £40bn Budget black hole

The plans aim to make the Treasury £2bn, as it attempts to avoid breaking the chancellor’s “red lines” outlined before the general election, which included not increasing VAT, income tax or national insurance.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 09:10

Lottery firm valued at £9.6bn after Czech owner sells part of stake

Czech tycoon Karel Komarek’s investment vehicle has sold a stake in Allwyn in a deal valuing the National Lottery operator at 11.2 billion euros (£9.6 billion).

Allwyn said central European investment fund J&T Arch has snapped up a 4.27% stake in the business from Mr Komarek’s KKCG business, which remains the majority owner.

In 2019, KKCG took 100% control of European lottery group Sazka Group before rebranding it as Allwyn.

It was awarded the licence to run the National Lottery in 2022.

Later that year, Allwyn then agreed a takeover deal for Camelot, which had previously run the UK’s National Lottery licence.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 08:45

Nvidia: Shares fall despite $46.7bn earnings beating expectations

Last night was a key event in the stock markets as Nvidia reported their earnings for the last quarter.

Without going into the finances in too much detail, $46.7bn in earnings was more than expected and earnings per share was higher than analysts’ anticipated levels too – but the share price fell after data centre revenue fell $0.2bn short of predictions.

It fell around 3 per cent initially but has since bounced back in pre-market trading, with the Nasdaq firm set to open 1.9 per cent lower according to the latest futures markets.

Nvidia is the biggest company in the world, valued at over $4tn, and the share price hit a new all time high at just over $183 earlier this month.

It’ll be around $177-178 later this afternoon when markets open, if it stays down in the 2-3 per cent range.

It’s value is so carefully watched as it makes up a significant chunk of many funds, including a basic tracker of US companies or more specifically tech-focused ones.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 08:30

Royal Mail launches services to help customers post to US after new charges

Royal Mail has announced it will be the first international postal operator to launch new services so people can continue sending goods to the United States ahead of new customs requirements coming into effect on Friday.

From today, Royal Mail customers can use the company’s new postal delivery duties paid (PDDP) services.

The move follows a US executive order last month which said that goods valued at 800 dollars or less will no longer be exempt from import duties and taxes from August 29.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 08:15

FTSE 100 in small rise after opening

The FTSE 100 fell yesterday as an afternoon slump left it around 0.1 per cent down for the day – and it’s up by less than that at the start of trading, about 0.06 per cent in the green.

There are no massive names reporting today but a few such as the Macfarlane Group and PPHE Hotel Group – which owns brands like Park Plaza, Radisson Collection and others – are some of the smaller or FTSE 250 firms set for reporting.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 08:06

Business and Money news live

Good morning all, we’ll get rolling today with FTSE 100 news and looking at Nvidia’s results from last night, then we’ve got a roundup of the bidding battle for Costa Coffee – a UK high street staple.

Karl Matchett28 August 2025 07:54



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Dick’s Sporting Goods raises guidance after second-quarter earnings beat

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Dick’s Sporting Goods raises guidance after second-quarter earnings beat


A Dick’s Sporting Goods store is shown in Oceanside, California, U.S., May 15, 2025.

Mike Blake | Reuters

Dick’s Sporting Goods raised its full-year sales and earnings guidance after delivering fiscal second-quarter results that beat expectations.

The company is now expecting comparable sales to grow between 2% and 3.5%, up from a previous range of 1% and 3% and ahead of analyst estimates of 2.9%, according to StreetAccount. 

Dick’s said its earnings per share are now expected to be between $13.90 and $14.50, up from a previous range of $13.80 to $14.40. Analysts were expecting $14.39 per share, according to LSEG.

Here’s how the company performed compared with what Wall Street was anticipating, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:

  • Earnings per share: $4.38 adjusted vs. $4.32 expected
  • Revenue: $3.65 billion vs. $3.63 billion expected

The company’s reported net income for the three-month period that ended Aug. 2 was $381 million, or $4.71 per share, compared with $362 million, or $4.37 per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items related to its acquisition of Foot Locker and other costs, Dick’s posted earnings per share of $4.38.

Sales rose to $3.65 billion, up about 5% from $3.47 billion a year earlier. During the quarter, comparable sales also grew 5%, well ahead of expectations of 3.2%, according to StreetAccount. 

“Our performance shows how well our long-term strategies are working, the strength and resilience of our operating model and the impact of our team’s consistent execution,” CEO Lauren Hobart said in a news release. “Our Q2 comps increased 5.0%, with growth in average ticket and transactions, and we drove second quarter gross margin expansion.”

While Dick’s comparable sales guidance came in ahead of expectations, its full-year revenue outlook was slightly below estimates. The company said it’s expecting revenue to be between $13.75 billion and $13.95 billion, below estimates of $14 billion, according to LSEG.

Dick’s said its raised profit guidance includes the impact of tariffs that are currently in effect. In an interview with CNBC’s Courtney Reagan, Dick’s executive chairman Ed Stack said the company has implemented some price increases to offset the impact of higher duties but has been “surgical” in its approach.

“We’ve been able to do what we need to from a pricing standpoint, whether that’s from the national brands or from our own brands, and then other places where we’ve held price, we’ve been able to do that, and we’ve offset it someplace else, which is what you have to do in these in these situations, and the team’s done a great job doing that,” Stack said.

Hobart said during Thursday’s call with analysts that the retailer hasn’t seen its shoppers balking at the “small-level” price increases that have gone into effect.

Hobart said broadly Dick’s hasn’t seen any signs of a consumer spending slowdown as a result of tariffs. She said Dick’s saw growth across all of its key segments during the quarter.

Foot Locker tie-up

The company said its guidance doesn’t include any potential impact from its acquisition of Foot Locker, such as costs or results from the planned takeover, which is expected to close on Sept. 8. 

In May, Dick’s announced it would be acquiring its longtime rival for $2.4 billion, giving it a competitive edge in the wholesale sneaker market, most importantly for Nike products, along with a bigger global presence.

Nike is a critical brand partner for both Dick’s and Foot Locker and, at times, their performance is reliant on how well the sneaker brand is doing. During the quarter, Stack said new drops from Nike’s revamped running portfolio, including the Pegasus Premium and the Vomero Plus, are performing so well, it can’t keep the shoes in stock.

“Anything that’s new, innovative and kind of the cool factor, is blowing out,” Stack said.

However, the acquisition also comes with risks. Foot Locker’s business has been in the midst of an ambitious turnaround under CEO Mary Dillon but the company is still struggling.

In the quarter ended Aug. 2, Foot Locker’s sales fell 2.4% and it posted a loss of $38 million. The company faces a range of existential challenges, including its heavy mall footprint, its small online business and a core consumer that often has less discretionary income than the core Dick’s consumer. 

Once the businesses are combined, Foot Locker’s struggles could ultimately weigh on Dick’s overall results. On the other hand, the combined company will become the No. 1 seller of athletic footwear in the U.S., which will allow it to better compete against its next biggest rival, JD Sports. 

Stack acknowledged to CNBC that Foot Locker’s earnings “were not great” but said the company has a strategy.

“We have a game plan of how to turn this around,” Stack told Reagan. “We think that we can return Foot Locker to its rightful place in the top of this industry and we’re excited to roll up our sleeves and get started with that.”

Dick’s plans to operate Foot Locker as a separate entity. Moving forward, Stack said the company plans to break out details on how each brand is performing when releasing quarterly results. It’ll provide separate details on how Dick’s performed and how Foot Locker performed so investors can get a sense of what’s going on in each part of the business.

Hobart said during Thursday’s earnings call that as part of the acquisition, Dick’s plans to invest in Foot Locker stores and marketing. She also said Dick’s sees opportunities in merchandising and bringing in a new assortment of products.

“As Foot Locker becomes part of the Dick’s family, we are an even more important brand to our wholesale partners, and that’s part of the thesis,” Hobart said.

Earlier this week, Dick’s said it had received all regulatory approvals associated with the transaction. It’s unclear if it had to divest any stores to satisfy the FTC’s requirements.

— CNBC’s Ali McCadden contributed to this report.



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Ex-WH Smith finance boss delays Greggs board appointment amid accounting probe

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Ex-WH Smith finance boss delays Greggs board appointment amid accounting probe



Greggs has delayed the appointment of incoming board director Robert Moorhead due to a review into a major accounting error at his previous firm, WH Smith.

The high street bakery chain said Mr Moorhead – the former finance chief at WH Smith – had asked to delay his appointment until a review by Deloitte into the blunder at WH Smith is completed.

He had been due to start at Greggs on October 1 as an independent non-executive director and chair of the audit committee.

Mr Moorhead left WH Smith in 2024 after more than 20 years at the chain.

The delay to his appointment comes after WH Smith saw nearly £600 million wiped off its stock market value last week when it revealed a review of its finances had discovered trading profits in North America had been overstated by about £30 million.

It warned that annual profits would be lower than expected as a result, sending shares down by more than 40% at one stage during the day.

WH Smith said it had found an issue in how it calculated the amount of supplier income it received – leading it to be recognised too early.

It means the group is now expecting a trading profit for the US of about £25 million for the year to August – a cut from the previous £55 million forecast.

As a result, the company lowered its outlook for annual pre-tax profits to around £110 million.

Greggs said Kate Ferry will remain as a non-executive director and will continue as chair of the audit committee in the interim.



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Electric cars eligible for £3,750 discount announced

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Electric cars eligible for £3,750 discount announced


Pritti MistryBusiness reporter, BBC News

Ford A bright yellow Ford Puma parked beside a street. A person in a red jacket, black shorts, and white sneakers walks on the pavement in front of a green building with horizontal white slats. The car faces right, and its license plate reads 'HOI108'.Ford

The first electric vehicles (EV) eligible for the £3,750 discount under the government’s grant scheme have been announced.

The Department for Transport confirmed Ford’s Puma Gen-E or e-Tourneo Courier would be discounted as part of plans to encourage drivers to move away from petrol and diesel vehicles.

Under the grant scheme, the discount applies to eligible car models costing up to £37,000, with the most environmentally friendly ones seeing the biggest reductions. Another 26 models have been cleared for discounts of £1,500.

Carmakers can apply for models to be eligible for grants, which are then automatically applied at the point of sale.

More vehicles are expected to be approved in the coming weeks and the DfT said the policy would bring down prices to “closely match their petrol and diesel counterparts”.

The government has pledged to ban the sale of new fully petrol or diesel cars from 2030.

But many drivers cite upfront costs as a key barrier to buying an EV and some have told the BBC that the UK needs more charging points.

According to Ford’s website, the recommended retail price (RRP) for a new Puma Gen-E starts from £29,905 while a petrol equivalent is upward of £26,060. With the reduction applied, buyers would be looking in the region of £26,155 for the EV version.

The grants to lower the cost of EVs will be funded through the £650m scheme, and will be available for three years.

There are around 1.3 million electric cars on Britain’s roads but currently only around 82,000 public charging points.

Full list of EVs eligible for the £1,500 discount

  • Citroën ë-C3 and Citroën ë-C3 Aircross
  • Citroën ë-C4 and Citroën ë-C4 X
  • Citroën ë-C5 Aircross
  • Citroën ë-Berlingo
  • Cupra Born
  • DS DS3
  • DS N°4
  • Nissan Ariya
  • Nissan Micra
  • Peugeot E-208
  • Peugeot E-2008
  • Peugeot E-308
  • Peugeot E-408
  • Peugeot E-Rifter
  • Renault 4
  • Renault 5
  • Renault Alpine A290
  • Renault Megane
  • Renault Scenic
  • Vauxhall Astra Electric
  • Vauxhall Combo Life Electric
  • Vauxhall Corsa Electric
  • Vauxhall Frontera Electric
  • Vauxhall Grandland Electric
  • Vauxhall Mokka Electric
  • Volkswagen ID.3

The up-front cost of EVs is higher on average than for petrol cars.

According to Autotrader, the average price of a new battery electric car was £49,790 in June 2025, based on manufacturers’ recommended prices for 148 models.

The equivalent for a petrol car was £34,225, but the average covers a broad range of prices.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the grant scheme was making it “easier and cheaper for families to make the switch to electric”.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said drivers “frequently tell us that the upfront costs of new EVs are a stumbling block to making the switch to electric”.

“It is great to see some of these more substantial £3,750 discounts coming online because for some drivers this might just bridge the financial gap to make these cars affordable.”



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