The British multinational alcoholic drinks company said that, for the year ended 30 June 2019, operating profit rose 9.5% to £4 billion. Diageo said that a strong growth in gin continued with Tanqueray and Gordon’s growing to double digit in Europe and Turkey, and Western Europe continued to gain market share in gin. Diageo also added that ready to drink jumped 17% in Europe and Turkey as it was driven by the Gordon’s premix range. Equally, the company said that scotch represented 25% of its net sales. Growth was driven by Johnnie Walker, which delivered a strong performance with net sales up 7%. This category benefitted from the successful launch of “White Walker by Johnnie Walker,” inspired by the popular TV series Game of Thrones. “Diageo has delivered another year of strong performance. Organic volume and net sales growth was broad based across regions and categories, with new product innovation being a strong contributor. We expanded organic operating margin ahead of our guidance and increased investment behind our brands ahead of organic net sales growth,” Ivan Menezes, Chief Executive, said in a company statement. “Fiscal 19 has been another year of strong free cash flow delivery at £2.6 billion and we have returned £2.8 billion to shareholders via share buybacks. The Board has approved plans for an additional return to shareholders of up to £4.5 billion over Fiscal 20 to Fiscal 22,” the Chief Executive continued.

AstraZeneca said on Thursday in its first half results that it had seen a 12% rise in product sales over the period. Shares in AstraZeneca were trading almost 6% higher on Thursday morning following the announcement. The multinational pharmaceutical company said that its performance in the first half of 2019 confirms its return to growth, driven by the strength of its new medicines. First-half product sales rose 12% to $11,183 million. Moreover, AstraZeneca said that its second quarter saw every sales region and all three therapy areas deliver an encouraging performance. This includes the sustained performance of new medicines to $2,385 million. Likewise, the company’s fourth-quarter performance of 2018 was also boosted by new medicines.

Consumer goods giant Unilever (LON:ULVR) posted its half-year results on Thursday, revealing that poor weather had hit its ice cream sales in Europe and North America. Shares in Unilever were trading over 1% lower on Thursday morning. Underlying sales were up 3.3% for the first half of 2019, led by its emerging market business which grew 6.2%. Unilever added that growth in its markets was mixed, however. Market growth in Europe and North America was held back by the impact of the weather on ice cream sales. In the emerging markets it continued to see good momentum, particularly in China and South East Asia. India saw a strong market growth, though it moderated, which Unilever said was expected. Argentina remains hyperinflationary and high levels of pricing continue to weigh on consumer demand, Unilever added. “We have delivered consistent growth within our guided range for 2019, led by our emerging markets,” CEO Alan Jope said in a company statement. “Accelerating growth remains our top priority and we continue to evolve our portfolio and seek out fast growth channel and geographical opportunities, as well as address those performance hotspots where growth is falling short of our aspirations,” Alan Jope continued. “For the full year, we continue to expect underlying sales growth to be in the lower half of our multi-year 3-5% range, an improvement in underlying operating margin that keeps us on track for the 2020 target and another year of strong free cash flow. Our sustainable business model and portfolio of purpose-led brands are key to delivering superior long-term financial performance.” Earlier this year in April, Unilever revealed a stronger-than-expected growth in its underlying sales for its first-quarter of 2019. In its full-year 2018 results, the consumer goods giant said it had seen continued profitable growth despite the “volatile” market conditions. Shares in Unilever plc (LON:ULVR) were trading at -1.23% as of 09:46 BST Thursday.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced on Wednesday that Jonathan Symonds will succeed Sir Philip Hampton as Non-Executive Chairman of its board. The British multinational pharmaceutical company said that this is set to come into effect later this year in September. Jonathan Symonds is currently the Deputy Group Chairman of HSBC (LON:HSBA). He has also been a former Chief Financial Officer of both Novartis AG and AstraZeneca plc – GSK’s rivals. “Jon has exceptional experience in life sciences, and in the financial management and governance of major, global companies. Throughout his career he has demonstrated a passion for science, and is known for his integrity and professionalism,” Vindi Banga, the company’s Senior Independent Director, said in a company statement. “We are delighted that Jon will lead the Board through this next phase for GSK, and we look forward to him joining in September,” Vindi Banga continued. Jonathan Symonds added: “I am delighted to be joining GSK, at what is a really important time for the company as it seeks to create value from its new R&D approach, and to create two, new world-leading companies, one focussed on Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines, the other on Consumer Healthcare.” GSK, which is headquartered in Brentford, London, also posted its second quarter results on Wednesday, delivering growth in both its sales and earnings. Group sales amounted to £7.8 billion, 7% higher than the same period last year. Meanwhile, adjusted earnings for the second quarter came in at 30.5 pence per share, up 9% on last year. In June, pharmaceutical company Stada (OTCMKTS:STDAF), announced its acquisition of six brands, one of which was a paediatric cough remedy from GSK. Shares in GlaxoSmithKline plc (LON:GSK) were trading at -0.1% as of 12:38 BST Wednesday.

Deutsche Bank posted a second quarter net loss of €3.1 billion on Wednesday, following strategic transformation charges of €3.4 billion. Shares in the bank were trading over 3.5% lower on Wednesday morning. At the beginning of the month the German bank announced plans to radically transform its business model. It said that the restructuring actions will see it axe 18,000 full-time equivalent employees. Deutsche Bank said that, since the announcement of the transformation plans, over 900 employees have already been given notice or informed that their role will be eliminated. Had the transformation charges been excluded, Deutsche Bank said that second quarter net income would have been €231 million against €401 million in the prior year period. Meanwhile, pre-tax profit would have been €441 million compared to the €711 million euros in the second quarter of 2018. “We have already taken significant steps to implement our strategy to transform Deutsche Bank. These are reflected in our results,” Christian Sewing, Chief Executive Officer, said in a company statement. “A substantial part of our restructuring costs is already digested in the second quarter. Excluding transformation charges the bank would be profitable and in our more stable businesses revenues were flat or growing. This, combined with our solid capital and liquidity position, gives us a firm foundation for growth,” the Chief Executive Officer continued. Earlier this year, Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank (ETR:CBK) abandoned talks of a potential merger amid shareholder concerns over the complexities of the proposed move. Had the merger gone ahead, it would have created Europe’s fourth largest banking institution. Shares in Deutsche Bank AG (ETR:DBK) were trading at -3.74% as of 11:53 CEST. Shares in Commerzbank AG (ETR:CBK) were trading at -0.7% as of 11:54 CEST.

Snap Inc., owner of the Snapchat app, said on Wednesday that it added 13 million daily active users in its second quarter. For the quarter ended 30 June, the owner of Snapchat saw its daily active users surge by 13 million to 203 million, an 8% increase year-over-year. The growth in daily active users comes after it struggled during 2018. Snap Inc. kicked off 2019 with a strong start in its first quarter, beating expectations. Snap Inc. added that the average number of Snaps created every day grew to more then 3.5 billion over the period. Its revenue increased 48% to $388 million in the second quarter, when compared to the same period a year prior. Revenue is earned through advertising on the app. “The growth in our community, engagement, and revenue is the result of several transitions we completed over the past 18 months,” Evan Spiegel, CEO, said in a company statement. “We look forward to building on our momentum and making significant ongoing progress in each of these areas,” the CEO continued. The app’s AR lenses have been highly popular as it recently launched a new generation of AR lenses that use deep neural networks to modify a person’s appearance in real-time. The owner of Snapchat also introduced a new lens that allows users to switch their gender in photos. Over 200 million Snapchat users played with these new lenses in the first two weeks. Additionally, by the end of the second quarter, over 500,000 lenses had been created by the Snapchat community through Lens Studio. Snap Inc. said that it saw more engagement with the lenses created by its community throughout the second quarter of 2019 than it did during the entirety of 2018. As for the company’s outlook, Snap Inc. expects revenue to be between $410 million and $435 million in its third quarter, compared to the $298 million figure from the same period a year prior. Shares in Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) were trading at +4.81% as of 04:46 GMT-4 Wednesday.