B&M CFO to step down, AstraZeneca gets green light from EMA
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Monday 20 Oct 2025
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 33.4 points higher ahead of the bell on Monday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.86% lower at 9,354.57.
STOCKS TO WATCH
B&M European Value Retail's finance chief is to step down, the chain confirmed on Monday, after it discovered £7m of freight costs had not been correctly recognised, hitting profits and causing it to cut its full-year outlook. The bargain chain said Mike Schmidt would stay with the business while it searches for his successor, to ensure an orderly transition.
AstraZeneca has received the green light from European regulators for its Saphnelo treatment for lupus. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has recommended Saphnelo for approval as a self-administered, once-weekly pre-filled pen for adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus on top of standard therapy. AstraZeneca said it was also advancing a development programme to explore the drug's potential in other diseases.
Industrial park owner Sirius Real Estate has bought a site in Feldkirchen, Germany for €43.7m, including acquisition costs. The business park currently generates €3.4m of annualised rent roll per year and is 94% occupied, Sirius said on Monday.
Fintech firm Plus500 reiterated its full-year guidance on Monday as it said "substantial strategic progress" made during the first nine months of 2025 had helped drive future growth and returns. Plus500 said year-to-date revenues were up 2% year-on-year at $597.8m, while underlying earnings were up 1% at $267.8m in the nine months ended 30 September.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
Betfred has said it will close all 1,287 of its high street betting shops if Rachel Reeves raises taxes on the gambling industry in next month's budget. The company's threat comes amid speculation that the chancellor is considering a tax increase worth up to £3.2bn on sports betting to help close a potential £30bn shortfall in the public finances. Betfred said such a tax increase would ultimately force all its shops to close, putting 7,500 jobs at risk. - Guardian
Suspected scam investment companies are exploiting Trustpilot's review system by giving themselves five-star ratings to persuade would-be investors that they are legitimate businesses, a report has warned. An investigation by the verification firm KwikChex found operators using fake reviews, forged certificates and stolen corporate identities to lure victims. One operator posed as a regulated law firm able help investors recover lost money, despite having no listing with the Solicitors Regulation Authority. - Guardian
Plans to reopen a railway on Jersey that was closed nine decades ago are threatening to split the island community of 104,000 people. The proposals would see the restoration of track between the Channel Island's capital St Helier and the west of the island, together with a new line to the airport. Proponents say the scheme would ease congestion on Jersey's sole dual carriageway while helping to revitalise tourism, aided by new light rail technology that would make the 10-mile line less intrusive and easier to build. - Telegraph
A decline in planning applications has cast doubt on Labour's housebuilding target, threatening Britain's growth prospects. A monthly average of 17,691 planning applications for new homes in England have been submitted so far this year, down from 19,369 a year ago, figures from construction data experts Barbour ABI show. - Telegraph
Affordable housing and rural broadband provision will be the first beneficiaries of a new regional investment drive by 20 of Britain's biggest pension providers and insurers. Legal & General has made a £2bn commitment to invest in delivering 10,000 affordable homes by 2030, while Nest is to invest £40m in fibre broadband in Scotland and northern England, and provide £100m to Schroders Capital to make UK investments. - The Times
US CLOSE
Major indices closed higher on Friday as the White House's softening rhetoric on trade talks with China offset renewed concerns over regional banks' lending practices.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.52% at 46,190.61, while the S&P 500 advanced 0.53% to 6,664.01 and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.52% firmer at 22,679.97.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
Email this article to a friend
or share it with one of these popular networks:
You are here: news
10 Lower Thames St,
London EC3R 6EN