China criticises UK-US trade deal; Aviva’s £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line faces competition probe – business live | Business
Key events
Tui has stuck to its profit outlook for this year, despite a small dip in summer bookings which it blamed on the late timing of Easter.
The travel operator said people had booked their summer holidays later because of the later Easter holidays this year. Its summer bookings dipped by 1%, but it raised its prices by 4%. Winter bookings were up b 2% with prices also 4% higher year-on-year.
Tui is expecting revenues to grow by 5% to 10% this year, resulting in underlying profit growth of 7% to 10%.
The Canary Islands, Egypt, mainland Spain and the Cape Verde Islands remained the most popular short- and medium-haul destinations, while Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates were the main winter destinations.
The Tui chief executive, Sebastian Ebel, said:
The environment was challenging. And the second half of the year will also remain demanding for the overall economy in Europe. Our integrated and diversified business model with its activities in Europe and increasingly also outside Europe, proved its worth again in the second quarter.
We are offering more and more products in more destinations for existing and new customers… More individuality, flexible options and the proven security of package holidays are the strengths of dynamically sourced travel offerings.
He said customers want more flexibility and greater choice, and the company is working to expand its app and its tour operating business.
A Boeing 787 of the travel company TUI takes off from the southern runway at Gatwick Airport in Crawley. Photograph: Peter Nicholls/Reuters
Burberry to cut 1,700 jobs worldwide
Burberry said it could cut 1,700 jobs worldwide by 2027, as the struggling UK fashion brand grapples with a downturn in luxury spending that pushed it into the red.
The company, known for its signature trench coats and beige, black, red, and white check,reported a pre-tax loss of £66m for the year to 29 March against a profit of £383m the year before. Revenues slumped by 15% to £2.5bn at constant exchange rates.
As part of its turnaround plan, Burberry is slashing a further £60m costs, as it aims for total cost savings of £100m a year. This will affect 1,700 jobs around its global offices. Burberry employed around 9,300 people around the world last year.
The company hired Joshua Schulman, the former boss of the US fashion brands Michael Kors and Coach, as chief executive last July in a bid to revive its fortunes.
Reece Clarke poses as he arrives for the Burberry catwalk show during London Fashion Week, in London, Britain, February 24, 2025. Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters
Introduction: China criticises UK-US trade deal; Aviva's £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line faces competition inquiry
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.
China has reportedly taken aim at last week’s trade deal between the UK and US that could be used to squeeze Chinese products out of Britain’s supply chains.
The deal - the first struck by Donald Trump’s administration since announcing sweeping tariffs last month - was announced on Thursday, and includes strict security requirements for Britain’s steel and pharmaceutical industries. It could make it harder for London to rebuild relations with Beijing.
Beijing said it is a “basic principle” that agreements between countries should not target other nations. China’s foreign ministry told the Financial Times:
Co-operation between states should not be conducted against or to the detriment of the interests of third parties.
Britain’s competition watchdog is reviewing Aviva’s proposed £3.7bn acquisition of its smaller insurance rival Direct Line to see whether it poses any competition concerns.
The deal would combine the companies’ UK insurance operations – covering a wide range of products such as car and home insurance.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is assessing whether the deal may lead to a “realistic prospect of a substantial lessening of competition”. It has 40 days to review the deal.
If it finds no competition concerns following its “phase 1 review”, it will clear the transaction. If the CMA finds concerns and considers that the merger needs a full phase 2 investigation, the two companies will have an opportunity to propose remedies to address such concerns.
