LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Air France-KLM reported on Thursday a better-than-expected annual result for 2024 as its ongoing efforts to contain costs paid off with a strong performance in the fourth quarter. European airlines had strong demand in 2024 but struggled to shake off the impact of labour strikes, rising inflation and maintenance costs. The group warned in November...

LONDON (Reuters) - European discounter Pepco Group said on Thursday it was evaluating all strategic options to separate its struggling 825-store Poundland business in Britain this year, including a potential sale. In a statement ahead of a Capital Markets Day, the Warsaw-listed group, which also owns the Pepco and Dealz brands, said it would focus on the Pepco brand as...

LONDON (Reuters) - Air France-KLM reported on Thursday a better-than-expected annual result for 2024 as its ongoing efforts to contain costs paid off with a strong performance in the fourth quarter. European airlines had strong demand in 2024 but struggled to shake off the impact of labour strikes, rising inflation and maintenance costs. The group warned in November that its...

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's FirstRand Ltd on Thursday posted a 10% rise in first-half earnings, helped by stronger overall credit performance. Its normalised earnings rose to 20.9 billion rand ($1.14 billion) in the six months ending Dec. 31, from 19.1 billion rand a year earlier, the bank said. FirstRand, which also operates across certain markets in sub-Saharan Africa and...