FTSE 100 gains on mining strength, Unilever boost; Deliveroo jumps

London's FTSE 100 rose on Thursday led by mining stocks and Unilever after the consumer products maker dropped its plan to acquire GSK's healthcare business, while food delivery platform Deliveroo jumped on order growth hitting the top of its outlook range. Food delivery company Deliveroo rose 5.6% on strong quarterly order value growth.

London's FTSE 100 rose on Thursday led by mining stocks and Unilever after the consumer products maker dropped its plan to acquire GSK's healthcare business, while food delivery platform Deliveroo jumped on order growth hitting the top of its outlook range. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rose 0.4%, helped by miners BHP Group, Anglo American, Rio Tinto and Unilever.

Unilever rose 1.5% after it effectively abandoned its plans to buy GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare business, saying it would not raise its 50-billion-pound offer that GSK previously rejected. The domestically focussed mid-cap index gained 0.4%.

Primark owner Associated British Foods dropped 1% after it said the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant dented shopper numbers in December. Food delivery company Deliveroo rose 5.6% on strong quarterly order value growth.