(Bloomberg) -- Residential landlord Grainger Plc and student housing provider Unite Group Plc reported record occupancy levels this morning, with both firms’ estates effectively fully rented out. That’s as the supply of new properties rose the most since November, a Rightmove report showed. Still, it will likely take months until the shift in markets filters through to rental prices.

Key Business News

Great Portland Estates Plc: The office and retail landlord expects the price gap between prime office spaces and the rest to widen. The firm also stressed it’s prepared to take advantage of “market opportunities.”

Imperial Brands Plc: The maker of Davidoff and Gauloises cigarettes will buy back as much as £1.1 billion of own shares as it expects to meet full-year earnings targets.

  • The results come after Rishi Sunak on Wednesday announced that he aims to gradually raise the legal age for consuming cigarettes in a move that would introduce a ban for the next generation

Cloud Market: Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp.’s cloud services face an investigation by the UK’s antitrust watchdog over concerns the US firms may be abusing their market power.

BlackRock Inc.: The world’s largest asset manager is raising a new private debt fund in Europe as BlackRock’s EMEA boss signaled the asset class is one of his top priorities in the region.

What’s Next? 

Friday morning will bring updates from Shell Plc and J D Wetherspoon Plc.

Interview

Buffeted by criticism from partners on both sides of the Atlantic, Ocado Group Plc’s founder Tim Steiner remains adamant that his robot-operated warehouses are worth the investment, even if customers currently aren’t quite as keen.

Key Headlines

  • Top City Boss Warns Pay Is Causing London to Lose War for Talent
  • Aston Martin Boss Says No Funding Needed to Challenge Ferrari
  • Shell CEO Plans Town Hall for Staff Amid Anxiety Over Oil Shift

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