News | Latest Breaking News Stories & Headlines

Germany's car industry has been particularly hard hit due to a shortage of semiconductors, with production way below pre-Covid levels

Shortages hit French and German industrial output

Industrial output fell in September in both France and Germany as delays in receiving materials hampered production, data released today showed.

Business • 05 Nov 21

Smurfit Kappa said its integrated paper and corrugated system is effectively 'sold out'

Smurfit Kappa's nine month revenues up 15%

Paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa has reported a strong first nine months for the group with corrugated growth of 9% in Europe and 11% in the Americas compared to the same time last year.

Business • 03 Nov 21

IHS Markit's final manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dipped to an eight-month low of 58.3 in October from September's 58.6

Euro zone factory growth hurt by supply woes

Euro zone manufacturing activity remained strong last month but was curtailed by supply chain bottlenecks and logistical problems which sent input costs soaring, a survey showed today.

Business • 02 Nov 21

Germany, Europe's largest economy, grew by 1.8% quarter on quarter in adjusted terms

Supply shortages hold back German third-quarter growth

Supply bottlenecks hampering German manufacturers held back German output in the third quarter, data showed today.

Business • 29 Oct 21

The German premium carmaker said today it should meet its 2021 profit targets

Daimler powers through chip crunch, targets on track

Daimler has today reported a higher quarterly profit despite a 30% drop in Mercedes-Benz unit sales due to a global semiconductor chip shortage, as it focused on more profitable luxury cars and cut costs.

Business • 29 Oct 21

After a year of blockbuster results for Amazon, the world's largest online retailer is facing a tougher outlook

Amazon's Q4 forecast disappoints on labour, supply woes

Amazon.com has reported a slump in profit that it expects will continue during the fourth quarter, as higher pay to attract workers and other operational disruptions diminish the company's windfall from online shopping.

Business • 29 Oct 21

Bloomsbury Publishing is taking steps to manage supply challenges such as lorry driver shortages and bottlenecks at ports

Harry Potter publisher prints early to save Christmas

The publisher of Harry Potter books has been printing titles much earlier than usual this year to sidestep supply snags ahead of what it expects will be a "booming" Christmas.

Business • 27 Oct 21

Severe global supply chain bottlenecks have threatened to keep toy store shelves empty this Christmas season

Mattel says supply snaps will not steal Christmas

Mattel has raised its 2021 sales forecast, saying it would overcome industry-wide shipping disruptions to ring in a strong season steered by Barbie and Hot Wheels, driving its shares 6% higher in extended trading.

Business • 22 Oct 21

KitKat maker Nestle is facing pressure on margins from rising input costs

Nestle raises its full year sales outlook

Nestle has today raised its sales guidancey, saying it now expected full-year organic growth of 6%-7% after strong coffee sales and price hikes pushed organic sales 6.5% higher in the third quarter.

Business • 20 Oct 21

Covid has complicated matters for Danone by hitting sales of bottled water sold in bars and restaurants, while pushing up costs for transport to raw materials

Danone keeps 2021 guidance in spite of inflation threat

French food group Danone kept its guidance that it would return to profitable growth in the second half of 2021 even though sales growth slowed in the third quarter, highlighting the challenges facing its new chief executive.

Business • 19 Oct 21

The six-day blockage of the Suez Canal just added to the significant backlog in global trade

The broken supply chain: Many factors, no easy fix

A series of unfortunate events - most of which happened thousands of kilometres away - will mean less choice and higher prices in Irish shops this Christmas, writes Adam Maguire.

Business • 16 Oct 21

IKEA said its stores in North America are the hardest hit by product shortages, followed by Europe

IKEA warns supply chain disruptions to last until 2022

IKEA, the world's biggest furniture brand, is leasing more ships, buying containers and re-routing goods between warehouses as it works hard to mitigate a "perfect storm" of global supply chain disruptions which could last into next year.

Business • 15 Oct 21

The announcements come as myriad supply chain and logistics problems pose fresh challenges to the global economic recovery

LA port going 24-hours to ease supply chain backlogs

The Port of Los Angeles and its longshoreman union will provide 24-hour service to alleviate backlogs that have exacerbated global supply chain problems, the White House has said.

US • 14 Oct 21

ASOS CEO Nick Beighton is to step down after 12 years with the business and six as the boss

ASOS CEO steps down as online retailer warns on profit

ASOS, the British online fashion retailer, has parted company with chief executive Nick Beighton, as it warned that higher logistics costs and supply chain disruption could force 2022 profits to drop by more than 40%.

Business • 11 Oct 21

German industrial output slumped by 4% month-on-month, after experiencing a rebound in July, new figures show today

German industrial output slumps on supply chain woes

German industrial production fell more sharply than expected in August, official data showed today, as supply chain frictions weigh heavily on Europe's biggest economy.

Business • 07 Oct 21

Greggs said that sales growth was particularly strong in August when a 'staycation' effect was evident

Greggs weathers supply chain disruption with sales rise

UK baker and fast food chain Greggs has raised its full-year profit outlook after underlying third-quarter sales rose 3.5% compared to two years ago despite staffing and supply chain disruption.

Business • 05 Oct 21

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI fell for a fourth month in a row in September to 57.1 from 60.3 in August

UK factories face supply problems, staff shortages

British factories in September suffered their weakest month since February when the country was still largely locked down, according to a survey which underscored the impact of supply chain problems and staff shortages for manufacturers.

Business • 01 Oct 21

Boohoo says freight inflation in its supply chain and higher wages for its distribution centre workers would impact full year profit margins

Boohoo's margins hit by higher freight and labour costs

Online fashion retailer Boohoo has today warned that full year profit margins will be lower than its previous guidance due to a rise in freight costs in its supply chain and higher wages for its distribution centre workers.

Business • 30 Sep 21

Nike is blaming a supply chain crunch that has left it with soaring freight costs and products stuck in transit for its lower sales targets

Nike cuts its full-year sales estimate

Nike has cut its fiscal 2022 sales expectations and said it expects delays during the Christmas shopping season, blaming a supply chain crunch that has left it with soaring freight costs and products stuck in transit.

Business • 24 Sep 21

IHS Markit's Flash Composite Purchasing Managers' Index fell to a five-month low of 56.1 in September from 59 in August

Euro zone business activity slows in September

Euro zone business activity grew at its weakest pace in five months in September as curbs to limit the Delta variant of coronavirus hit demand and supply-chain constraints pushed input costs to a more than two-decade high.

Business • 23 Sep 21

The Ifo institute now sees Germany's GDP growing by 2.5% this year, down 0.8% percentage points from its previous forecast

Germany's Ifo institute cuts GDP growth forecast

Germany's Ifo economic institute said today it had cut its growth forecast for Europe's largest economy for this year as supply chain disruptions and scarcity of intermediate goods are slowing down the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Business • 22 Sep 21

The Co-Op Group said that supply chain disruptions would put pressure on its full year profit

Co-op warns supply chain disruption to hit profits

UK supermarket group the Co-operative Group has today reported a first half loss and warned the British supply chain disruption would put pressure on full year profit.

Business • 16 Sep 21

UK retailers, cafes and restaurants, including the Restaurant Group, are struggling with a shortage of drivers and food processing staff

Wagamama-owner flags labour shortages

Wagamama-owner Restaurant Group has today forecast an increase in 2021 profit after it reported a first-half profit, but challenges around labour shortages and supply chain constraints flagged by the company sent its shares down 2.8%.

Business • 15 Sep 21

Halfords said it expected the cycling supply chain issues to continue for some time

Supply chain disruption hits Halford's bike business

Bikes and car parts retailer Halfords said that disruption in the global supply chain was dragging on its cycling business, although it stuck to its full-year profit target.

Business • 08 Sep 21

Greggs is the latest food business to be hit by supply chain interruptions that are impacting businesses across the UK retail and hospitality sector

Greggs latest food business hit by supply chain issues

Greggs, the UK bakery and fast food chain, has become the latest food business to be hit by supply chain interruptions that are impacting businesses across the retail and hospitality sector in Britain.

Business • 26 Aug 21

Supply Chain

Shortages hit French and German industrial output

Smurfit Kappa's nine month revenues up 15%

Euro zone factory growth hurt by supply woes

Supply shortages hold back German third-quarter growth

Daimler powers through chip crunch, targets on track

Amazon's Q4 forecast disappoints on labour, supply woes

Harry Potter publisher prints early to save Christmas

Mattel says supply snaps will not steal Christmas

Nestle raises its full year sales outlook

Danone keeps 2021 guidance in spite of inflation threat

The broken supply chain: Many factors, no easy fix

IKEA warns supply chain disruptions to last until 2022

LA port going 24-hours to ease supply chain backlogs

ASOS CEO steps down as online retailer warns on profit

German industrial output slumps on supply chain woes

Greggs weathers supply chain disruption with sales rise

UK factories face supply problems, staff shortages

Boohoo's margins hit by higher freight and labour costs

Nike cuts its full-year sales estimate

Euro zone business activity slows in September

Germany's Ifo institute cuts GDP growth forecast

Co-op warns supply chain disruption to hit profits

Wagamama-owner flags labour shortages

Supply chain disruption hits Halford's bike business

Greggs latest food business hit by supply chain issues