THE DAILY BRIEFING
DATA DEAL Shares in big data company WANdisco soared 20pc after it announced its biggest ever deal, worth £3.2m, with a multinational financial services firm.
ORDERS UP UK manufacturers have reported strong growth in orders both at home and abroad in the first three months of the year in the latest CBI Industrial Trends survey – although costs and prices have continued to rise.
STRONG TRADING IT services firm First Derivatives said 2017 revenues would be ‘moderately ahead’ of forecasts of £144.3m.
This came after strong trading performance in the first half of the year to February 28 continued into the second half. ADVERTS RECORD a record £21.4bn was spent on advertising last year, making it the sixth consecutive year of market growth.
adspend rose by 3.7pc in 2016, thanks to a boost in internet and mobile spending, according to the latest advertising association and WaRC Expenditure Report.
STARTING UP The owner of British airways is investing millions into two promising tech start-ups.
IAG has named Esplorio, an app that lets users record and share travel experiences, and Vchain, an software that helps users get through airports faster, as winners of its tech competition Hangar 51.
DRUG HOPE Pharmaceutical company Amryt Pharma , which develops treatments for patients with rare diseases, has enrolled its first patient to test its treatment for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that leads to exceptionally fragile skin. MINE RESULTS Production at mining company Petra Diamonds was flat in the first three months of the year.
The firm, which has eight mines in South africa and Tanzania, said production remained steady at 999,768 carats, from 995,905 carats in the same period the year before.
Sales, however, fell 1pc to £93m.
CYCLE PLANS Thousands of events are being planned aimed at encouraging millions more people to get on their bikes.
Cycling UK and retail giant Halfords have joined forces in a threeyear partnership, which will include a number of local projects and a national Bike Week that is planned to take place in mid- June.