A Boeing 737 Max due to be delivered to Ryanair Holdings (RYA) has had the name Max dropped from the livery, further fuelling speculation that the manufacturer and airlines will seek to rebrand the troubled plane once it is given the all clear to fly again. Photos have emerged of a 737 Max in Ryanair colours outside Boeing’s manufacturing hub, with the designation 737-8200 – instead of 737 Max – on the nose. The 737-8200 is a type name for the aircraft that is used by aviation agencies. The Max aircraft remains grounded worldwide after two crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Boeing has yet to convince regulators that software modifications are sufficient to ensure the plane’s safety. Ryanair has 135 of the 737 Max models on order, the first five of which are due for delivery in the autumn, once regulators have declared the plane safe. The airline’s fleet order is comprised entirely of a larger version of the Max 8, with 197 seats, which it has until now referred to in official Ryanair announcements as the 737 Max 200.
Pets at Home Group (PETS) has taken a stake in the dog-walking and pet-sitting service Tailster.com, aiming to take a slice of a market estimated to be worth £1bn. Tailster uses a network of 26,000 self-employed pet carers across the UK, which it connects with customers via an app that offers GPS tracking of dog walks, real time photos and free insurance. The UK’s biggest pets retailer will offer Tailster’s services to its 4.4 million loyalty scheme members as part of its aim to fight off competition from online competitors, including Amazon, by generating half its revenues from services, up from about a third today. The market is growing fast as the under-40s splash cash on pets, which they increasingly see as family members. Pets at Home shares have recovered in recent months as trading improved after profits took a hit from a restructuring of its vets business.
has delayed the publication of its annual financial results, warning that it could miss profit forecasts amid uncertainty over the performance of House of Fraser. Shares in the retail group, controlled by the Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, fell nearly 10% to 238p, their lowest level this year, as analysts suggested the company was struggling to cope with a string of acquisitions made in the past 18 months. Sports Direct said it was not ready to publish its results for the year to 28 April on Thursday, as previously planned, for several reasons, including: “The complexities of the integration into the company of the House of Fraser business and the current uncertainty as to the future trading performance of this business.” The company said it believed its accounts and their audit were at “an advanced stage. However, there are a number of key areas to conclude on which could materially affect the guidance given in Sports Direct’s announcement of 13 December 2018.”
