Eurostar, Campbell Soup, LSE: Business news in brief on Friday May 20

Terror attacks slows demand for Eurostar; London taxi maker raises $400m to develop greener cabs; Campbell Soup sees sales fall

Eurostar blamed terror attacks in both Paris last year and Brussels in March for dampening demand

Terror attacks slows demand for Eurostar

Eurostar has reported a “challenging” first quarter with travellers cautious over terrorism. Passenger numbers on the high speed rail service between the UK and mainland Europe fell 3 per cent to 2.2 million compared to the same period in 2015. The company blamed terror attacks in both Paris last year and Brussels in March for dampening demand, with sales revenues falling 6 per cent to £201 million. However Eurostar said the Euro 2016 is boosting business with a surge of ticket sales over the past few weeks.

London taxi maker raises $400m to develop greener cabs

Geely, the Chinese firm that makes London Black cabs, has raised $400million (£274 million) through a green bond issue to fund the development of a zero emissions version of the classic taxi. It expects the first of the hybrid TX5 cabs, modelled on the iconic 1958 FX5 built by Austin, to be ready for sale by the end of next year.

France warns against London Stock Exchange merger with Deutsche Börse

A planned £20 billion merger between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Börse poses a threat to competition and the European economy, Michel Sapin the French finance minister has claimed on Friday. “I want to express the concern of the French government,” said Michel Sapin. “We have doubts about the consequences. We want to make sure the European Commission gets involved to avoid a situation where a dominant position arises.”

Campbell Soup sees sales fall

Campbell Soup, the world's largest soup maker, has reported a 2 per cent fall in third quarter sales to $1.87 billion. Despite the drop, the firm said profit rose to £185 million for the three months to 1 May, thanks to a $25 million gain from a legal settlement. Chief Executive Denise Morrison said the company expects organic sales to grow in the fourth quarter and next fiscal year “behind more robust innovation and marketing