BUSINESS EXTRA

Cleaned out

BRITISH shoppers are buying less soap, according to Reapp, the supermarket retail app. Leading chains have reported a drop in sales of these items owing to the cost of living crisis, with soap sales falling by 48 per cent in the first six months of 2023 and handwash by 23 per cent.

Up and down

ENDESA registered an €879 million first­half net profit, 4 per cent less than the same period last year. Revenues of €13.12 billion fell 11.6 per cent due to this year’s lower electricity prices although earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation improved by 27 per cent to €2.48 billion.

More jobs

EL CORTE INGLES increased its workforce by 3.69 per cent last year and now has 81,434 employees ­ 50,674 of whom are women and 30,760 menin its stores, supermarkets and travel agencies. The increase in staff was mainly due to the chain’s acquisition of Logitravel, the company explained.

Not so bad

BRITAIN is on course to outperform Germany this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, after its gloomiest predictions for the UK economy did not materialise. The IMF foresees that the UK economy will grow by 0.4 per cent this year, confirming forecasts that were initially published last May.

Low-flying

HEATHROW AIRPORT did not return to profit in this year’s first half despite increased passenger numbers. The airport, which reported a £139 million (€162.8 million) adjusted pre­tax loss for the first half of 2023, blamed the Civil Aviation Authority, which capped the amount it could charge airlines for each passenger.

STAT OF WEEK €607 million

net profit for Spain’s state-owned airports management company Aena during the first six months of this year, compared with €559 million during the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.