The Ian King Business Podcast

Associated British Foods, the parent company of Primark, has reported pre-tax half-year profits jumped 37% in the six months to March. On today's episode, Ian King looks at what that's done for its share price.Meanwhile, he digs into the markets after a record-high FTSE close of 8,023.Plus, a blow for the chancellor after government borrowing came in higher than forecast.

On today's episode of the Ian King Business Podcast, Asda's chief financial officer Michael Gleeson responds to a 2.2% like-for-like sales growth - a slow-down of the 2.8% reported in the previous quarter.Underlying profts rose, though.Thames Water's promised to invest £1.1 billion in its network over the next five years.Plus EY share their new spring forecast.

How have the markets reacted to Israel's attack on Iran? Ian's joined by Sophie Lund-Yates, lead equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown to assess the impact.He's also chatting to the boss of Dutch telecoms firm KPN, which has launched a major campaign against the sending of unsolicited sexual images.

The average cost of car insurance in the UK is now more than £900 according to one comparison website - that up 43% over the space of one year. Ian's joined by Steve Dukes, Chief Executive of Confused.com to discuss what it means for premiums and payouts.Music investment company Hipgnosis has agreed to a 1-point-1 billion pound takeover by Alchemy Copyrights. The fund owns 138 catalogues with more than 40,000 songs by artists including Blondie and Red Hot Chili Peppers.And Security giant Cisco is teaming up with the design team at McLaren F1 on building and upgrading their cars - hear from Jeetu Patel, Cisco's Executive Vice President and General Manager.

As inflation drops to a two-and-a-half year low, Ian discusses what it could mean for interest rates with Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB.He's also joined by Kriti Sharma, chief product officer of legal tech at Thomson Reuters - which is launching a new generative AI assistant for the legal profession.And warnings of the risks of so called "forever chemicals" have led to a surge in demand a new non stick kitchen pan that's made without them. Shiza Shahid, co-founder of Our Place - the company behind the product - explains why.

As wages continue to rise more rapidly than expected Ian's joined by James Reed, chairman of the employment agency, Reed Group to discuss how hopes of an imminent cut in interest rates have been dampened.Erin Platts from HSBC Innovation Banking tells Ian that UK start-ups raised less money from venture capital during the first three months of this year than in any quarter since the early days of the pandemic.And Jonathan Satchell, CEO of Learning Technologies Group talks to Ian about ensuring that employers get the best out of their workforce.

Global oil prices dipped slightly this morning despite rising tensions in the Middle East. Ian's joined by Henry Allen, macro strategist at Deutsche Bank to discuss what it means and the likely impact.International motor dealer Inchcape has sold its UK retail operations for £346 million to the US motor dealer Group 1 Automotive.Plus, as more of us look to decarbonise our homes, Ian speaks to residential energy services company Hometree Group as it takes on market leaders Homeserve and British Gas. The company's chief executive Simon Phelan explains their ambitions.

Newly released figures suggest the UK will be out of its technical recession early this year, following two quarters in a row of negative growth in late 2023.Ian discusses the latest ONS figures with Victoria Clarke, chief UK economist at Santander Corporate and Investment Banking.The financial regulator's written to providers of motor finance reminding them they must maintain adequate financial resources. It's carrying out a review of discretionary commission agreements on car loans - a practice banned in 2021.Plus the state-owned oil company of Abu Dhabi has reportedly looked at BP as a possible takeover target.

As global satellite giant Viasat opens its new international headquarters in London, Ian King is joined by the company's President Guru Gowrappan.Britain's night time economy has struggled to recover since the pandemic but one entrepreneur is betting on its revival. Mexican-Japanese restaurant brand Los Mochis will tonight open a 14,000 square foot site at Broadgate Circle in London. Ian speaks to its founder Markus Thesleff.Plus Mimo - a financial management software company - says it's raised more than £15 million to support its launch. Henrik Grim, co-founder and chief executive of the company explains what they hope to achieve.

On today's show Tesco reports a sharp rise in annual profits. It posted an adjusted operating profit of £2.83 billion for the year to the end of February - up 11% on the previous year.  Ian King speaks to Andrew Gossage, chief executive of homewares supplier Ultimate Products about shipping costs in light of recent attacks in the Red Sea from Houthi militants.  Plus, British parking app JustPark is to launch in the United States and Canada after merging with a leading US provider. The app's founder  Anthony Eskinazi, explains the significance of the deal.