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Ocado ends exclusivity deals, Bank of Georgia deputy CEO stands down
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Tuesday 30 Dec 2025
(Sharecast News) - LONDON PRE-OPEN
The FTSE 100 was expected to open 10.2 points higher ahead of the bell on Tuesday, after wrapping up the previous session 0.04% softer at 9,866.53.
STOCKS TO WATCH
Grocery technology business Ocado announced on Tuesday that mutual exclusivity had now ended with retailers in the majority of markets where its technology was currently live, including the USA with Kroger. Ocado expected to roll off exclusivity arrangements by the end of the year in the majority of markets, enabling it to bring its "proven and much evolved technology offering" back to market in many of the largest grocery markets.
Lion Finance Group said Mikheil Gomarteli, deputy chief executive and head of payments at its Bank of Georgia subsidiary, was stepping down from executive roles on 1 January after 28 years with the business. Gomarteli will remain in a non-executive role across the group's various subsidiaries. Former bank executive Levan Kobakhidze has rejoined as Bank of Georgia's new head of payments after two years at Wells Fargo in New York.
NEWSPAPER ROUND-UP
UK consumers are reluctant to spend going into 2026 despite feeling almost as secure about their personal finances as they did at the beginning of the year, according to research. A study by the accountancy multinational KPMG found that concerns about the health of the UK economy were holding consumers back from spending, especially on eating out and big ticket items such as cars and furniture. - Guardian
UK house prices rose fastest in Plymouth this year as investment in shopping and amenities lured buyers to the south-west city, a survey of 2025 housing hotspots shows, as the central London market struggled with weaker demand. The average property price rose by 12.6% in Plymouth during 2025, the steepest rise anywhere in the country, taking the typical home price to £278,808. The data, from Lloyds Banking Group, showed Stafford and Wigan also had double-digit growth. - Guardian
Octopus Energy's tech arm Kraken has been valued at nearly $9bn after the energy giant offloaded a significant stake to a group of American backers. The UK's biggest energy supplier on Monday said investors led by D1 Capital Partners and Fidelity International would sink about $1bn of fresh money into Kraken in return for an undisclosed stake. Some of the funds will also be invested in Octopus Energy. - Telegraph
The company behind ChatGPT has advertised a job paying $555,000 to protect humanity from the worst impacts of artificial intelligence. OpenAI is recruiting a "head of preparedness" who will be tasked with limiting the likelihood that AI systems could be used to carry out cyber attacks, help terrorists conduct biological warfare, and damage people's mental health. - Telegraph
Britain's electricity demand is on the rise after two decades of decline as electric vehicles, heat pumps and AI data centres drive a new era of electrification. Electricity consumption has increased this year for the second year running, the first time that Britain has recorded two consecutive years of power demand growth since 2002 to 2003, according to analysis by Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights. - The Times
Homes in the most expensive areas of London have lost a quarter of their value in little over a decade, as higher taxes have led to a correction in the market. An analysis by Savills shows that prices in the prime central London market, which it categorises as being homes sold for £4.5m or more, have fallen sharply amid higher stamp duty for purchasers and the end of non-domicile tax status, which has triggered an exodus of wealthy residents. - The Times
US CLOSE
Major indices closed lower on Monday as the late‑December rally showed signs of losing momentum.
At the close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.51% at 48,461.93, while the S&P 500 shed 0.35% to 6,905.74, and the Nasdaq Composite saw out the session 0.50% weaker at 23,474.35.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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