Business News | As the number of students increases, the stadium also increases, McDonald's stops the AI ​​drive-through test operation

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In a slow day for corporate news, private higher education group Stadio appeared to please the market with an update on student growth, while Gemfields received mixed reviews after detailing its recent ruby-tinted results. In international news, McDonald's will halt a trial of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted ordering at some drive-thru restaurants after a video of an order mix-up went viral.

Private Higher Education Group Studio The company reported that student numbers had grown 8% through June, increasing total numbers from 42,874 to 46,300, with a similar percentage increase between remote and face-to-face learning. “Given the challenging circumstances in which we have achieved this, we are pleased to report an 8% increase in student numbers overall. Excluding the Millpark Education B2B business, we are seeing an impressive 15% increase in total student numbers as term two enrolments commence,” CEO Chris Forster said in a statement accompanying the group's annual general meeting. Stadio said the latest student numbers growth put the group's target of 56,000 students by 2026 firmly within reach, and that it was on track to reach more than 100,000 students, with a long-term target of a core profit margin of 30% and a return on equity of 20%. Stadio was up just under 3% on Wednesday afternoon, but is up more than 6% in a year.

Gemfields, a ruby ​​and emerald miner also owned by Faberge. Revenues from the mixed-quality ruby ​​auction in June were $68.7 million (about R1.2 billion), down about 14 percent from $80.4 million a year earlier, but the price per carat rose from $266 to about $317. “This auction marks the 10th anniversary of Gemfields' first auction of rubies from Mozambique's Montepuez ruby ​​mine in June 2014,” Adrian Banks, MD of product and sales, said in a statement. “We are pleased to announce another strong result that demonstrates the confidence our loyal customers have in our products and auction platform. The industry is currently facing headwinds, including from the economic downturn in China, so we hope this result will provide some reassurance to other stakeholders in the industry.” After the initial loss, Gemfields was up more than 5 percent on Wednesday afternoon, but is still down about a fifth on the year.