Restrictions currently apply to seven retailers

Aldi and Lidl ought to be subject to the same land agreement regulations as Britain’s biggest supermarket chains, the UK’s competition watchdog has said in provisional findings.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) proposal would prevent the German discount retailers from obstructing rival supermarkets from setting up near their stores.

Rules designed to stop large grocery retailers from using land agreements to make it harder for rival supermarkets to open nearby, particularly through restrictive covenants and exclusivity arrangements, were introduced in 2010.

The restrictions currently apply to seven retailers – Asda, Co‐op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.

In a provisional decision, the CMA said it believes Aldi, Lidl GB and Lidl NI should also be subject to the rules.

Aldi is the UK’s fourth largest grocer, with a 10.8% share of the market, and Lidl the sixth largest with an 8.8% share, according to recent figures from Worldpanel.

Both retailers have expanded rapidly through new store openings in recent years, while also drawing in fresh customers with their competitive discount pricing.

The regulator noted that the brands were not originally included in the rules owing to their more limited product ranges, but stated they should now fall under the restrictions following significant expansion of their store estates and the opening of larger outlets.

The CMA has confirmed it is seeking further views before reaching a final decision. Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.

“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.”

An Aldi spokesman said: “The CMA’s provisional decision does not impact our long-term growth plans across the UK.

“We remain firmly committed to opening hundreds of new stores across the country, bringing Aldi’s unbeatable value and award-winning quality to even more customers.”

A Lidl spokesman said: “We note the CMA’s provisional decision regarding our status under the Controlled Land Order.

“As a discounter, we have always welcomed and embraced competition within the market and our focus remains on continuing to open new stores and bringing our high-quality, lowest-priced groceries to even more communities. Any outcome will not impact our steadfast momentum and growth.”

To find all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your community, visit the Public Notices Portal.

U.S. stocks advanced on Friday, with the S&P closing at a record high to cap off a strong week of gains for the major indexes, after data showed the U.S. economy unexpectedly shed jobs last month and dampened expectations the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates at its September meeting. The Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls decreased by ‌23,000 jobs last month, well ⁠below the ⁠estimate of economists polled by Reuters that called for an increase of 80,000 jobs.

Previously reported job gains for the prior two months were also revised sharply lower, while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% last month from 4.2% in June due to workers leaving the labor force. Market expectations for a rate hike from the Fed at its next meeting dropped to about 44%, according to CME FedWatch, down from 55% in the prior session and 67% a week ago. Signs of progress for a potential peace deal in the Iran war have helped cool oil prices and, in turn, have eased inflation worries that could prompt a ⁠Fed rate ‌hike and pushed Treasury yields lower.

A strong earnings season has also tempered concerns about the massive spending by ​AI-related companies, sending ​each of the three major indexes to their biggest weekly percentage gains since mid-April.

“You probably have to ⁠lower rates to kind of stimulate job growth, but if you lower rates, you’re going to also stimulate inflation. So you’re kind of in a pickle at this point, and yet the market’s just taken off because earnings have been stellar,” said Tom Siomades, chief market economist at AE Wealth Management in Topeka, Kansas.

“The market should be reacting to weak job numbers and higher inflation and the possibility of a slow-growth economy that may need to have rates raised rather than cut, and yet it’s not. We’re setting records, so go figure.”

With earnings season entering the final stretch, of the 436 companies in the S&P 500 that have already reported results through Friday morning, 85.1% have ‌topped analyst expectations, according to LSEG data – well above the 68% average since 1994.
Under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, the U.S. central bank has offered investors little forward guidance on monetary policy, leading market participants to ​focus on economic ​data and commentary from policymakers.MAJOR INDEXES ⁠POST GAINS

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 46.48 points, or 0.60%, to end at 7,756.44 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 338.81 points, or 1.29%, to 26,690.62. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 151.33 points, or 0.28%, to 54,036.43. Elon Musk’s SpaceX surged a day after the expiry of the first of several share lockup restrictions following its record public offering in June. Collaboration software maker Atlassian shot up while chip company Microchip Tech jumped after both forecast quarterly revenue above estimates. Among other movers, vacation rental company Airbnb rose as the best performer on the S&P 500 after beating second-quarter revenue estimates. In contrast, Trade Desk plummeted as the worst performer on the benchmark index after the ad-tech firm forecast third-quarter revenue below expectations.

Operator

Good day, everyone, and welcome to today’s Century Casinos Q2 2026 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] Please note, this call is being recorded, and I will be standing by you.

It is now my pleasure to turn the conference over to Peter Hoetzinger. Please go ahead, sir.

Peter Hoetzinger
Vice Chairman, Co-CEO & President

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining our earnings call. First, we would like to remind everyone that we will be discussing forward-looking information under the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws. The company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, and actual results may differ from those projected. Throughout our call, we refer to several non-GAAP financial measures, including, but not limited to, adjusted EBITDA. Reconciliations of our non-GAAP measures to the appropriate GAAP measures can be found in our news releases and SEC filings available in the Investors section of our website at cnty.com.

With me today are my co-CEO, Erwin Haitzmann; our CFO, Margaret Stapleton; as well as our new Executive VP of U.S. Operations, Lyle Randolph. After our prepared remarks, we’ll open the call for questions from analysts.

I’m pleased to report that our diversified portfolio delivered a strong solid quarter as net operating revenue came in at $152 million, a 1% increase over Q2 of last year. Adjusted EBITDA was $31.7 million, a 5% increase. Both are all-time records

Glenbrook reveals plans for former Beever & Struthers base

The former HQ of an accountancy firm in Hulme could be bulldozed to make way for more than 160 new homes. St George’s House on Chester Road could be replaced with two apartment blocks with a total of 162 new flats.

The handsome building was once home to financial advisors Beever & Struthers. The firm moved to Ancoats in 2022 and the vacant property has since been shuttered up and sold to developers. Glenbrook, who have acquired the land, are now proposing to turn the site into an ‘attractive, sustainable development that responds positively to Hulme’s character while delivering much-needed homes’.

The developers have not yet submitted a planning application to the council, but have launched a public consultation looking for the input of local residents, businesses and community groups.

The plans involve building two blocks of one-, two-, and three-bedroom dwellings that would sit parallel from each other facing a shared courtyard with landscaping and play areas.

A six-storey tower will run along Chester Road, opposite the significantly taller DeTrafford building. Meanwhile, a shorter four-storey block would be constructed on Anne Nuttall Road, opposite a row of terraced homes.

Michael Watson, development manager at Glenbrook, said the plans have ‘evolved significantly’ in conversation with Manchester City Council, with a focus on ‘creating a distinctive place and high-quality homes’ that fits with the surrounding area in Hulme.

Feedback sessions for the public will be held at New Hope International Ministry on Tatton Street on Thursday 13 August, 4-7pm and Tuesday 18 August, 1-4pm. Tim Groom Architects, who are supporting the development, have also launched an online consultation.

Glenbrook are also currently working on plans to redevelop Church Street car park in the Northern Quarter. The underused 685-space multi-storey parking lot could soon make way for around 600 new homes and four new town squares.

The area has been tipped for demolition since 2024, and has become a hotbed of antisocial behaviour and crime, with a 19-year-old man stabbed on the road outside on July 31.

The plans have not yet been submitted to Manchester’s planning department.

To find all the planning applications, traffic diversions, road layout changes, alcohol licence applications and more in your community, visit the Public Notices Portal.

Operator

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by. Welcome to Wheaton Precious Metals’ 2026 Second Quarter Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] I would like to remind everyone that this conference call is being recorded on Friday, August 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. I will now turn the conference over to Emma Murray, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Emma Murray
Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you, Julianne. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for participating in today’s call. I’m joined today by Haytham Hodaly, Wheaton Precious Metals’ President and Chief Executive Officer; Vincent Lau, Chief Financial Officer; Wes Carson, Vice President of Mining Operations; and Neil Burns, Vice President, Corporate Development. Please note for those not currently on the webcast, a slide presentation accompanying this conference call is available in PDF format on the Presentations page of our website.

Some of the comments on today’s call may include forward-looking statements. Please refer to Slide 2 for cautionary information and disclosures. It should be noted that all figures referred to on today’s call are in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted.

With that, I’d like to turn the call over to Haytham Hodaly, Wheaton’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Shares in Siemens fell after order growth in its digital industries division missed expectations while market forecasts for smart infrastructure already sit within the newly upgraded guidance.

In European morning trade, shares were 4% lower at 274.55 euros, but almost 15% higher in the year to date.

Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8