THE DAILY BRIEFING
AIRPORT TAKE-OFF Manchester Airport has broken into the European top 20 after being used by 1.6m passengers last month.
Passenger numbers at the northern hub grew 17.7pc in January to 25.9m over the past 12 months.
It is now the 20th busiest airline in Europe. Passenger numbers at Stansted also grew 5pc, to £1.7m.
Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airport Group, which owns the two airports, said: ‘Airlines are seeing the value of the capacity we offer and our doubledigit growth is testament to our airports’ strong appeal.’
MILESTONE FIXED Screwfix has opened its 500th UK store. Since opening its first outlet in Yeovil, Somerset, in 2005, it has opened one a week for the past six years, with its latest in London boosting its workforce to more than 10,000.
Chief executive Andrew Livingston said: ‘This is a significant moment for our business and demonstrates our focus on continued growth to meet the needs of our busy customers.’
SHOPS’ PAIN The High Street has suffered its worst January sales period in four years as shoppers shunned the discounted racks to spend online, figures show.
January’s like-for-like sales fell by 0.1pc, the first negative growth over the crucial discounting period since 2013, according to the BDO high street sales tracker. It comes straight after a dismal December that also saw a year-on-year drop of 0.1pc.
BDO said the lack of spending in the busiest two months of the year had left retailers nervous, with shoppers facing inflation, price increases and political uncertainty.
BANK SUFFERS Profits at German lender Commerzbank slumped by 65pc to £547m in 2016 after a woeful year for European banks. It was rocked by market turmoil, recordlow interest rates and sluggish growth on the Continent.
Its larger rival, Deutsche Bank, has also had a tough 12 months, handing over billions in US fines as speculation raged over its future. INVESTMENT HIT Investors pulled £4bn out of Henderson Group last year as markets were hit by fears over China, US President Donald Trump’s election win and Brexit.
Profits fell 17pc to £139.2m and it announced a dividend of 7.3p per share. The firm is on track to complete a £4.2bn merger with US rival Janus Capital by the end of May.
Shares fell 1.8pc, or 4p, to 212.9p.
FORBES LEAVES Senior Bank of England official Kristin Forbes is to leave at the end of June after only three years in the job.
The American economist has been on the Monetary Policy Committee, which sets interest rates, since 2014. She is taking a role at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.