UK retailers suffer worst footfall and spending for half a decade February 12, 2018 Britain’s retailers have been dealt another blow at the start of 2018, suffering the worst January for sales and footfall in half a decade. Figures released today by retail experts Springboard show footfall dropped by 1.6 per cent last month, the worst result for January since 2013, with customer numbers on high streets falling by [...]
Aldi knocks Waitrose off supermarket top spot while shoppers turn to Iceland and Ocado for online groceries February 12, 2018 Aldi has knocked Waitrose off the top spot as the UK’s favourite supermarket for in-store shopping. Customers rated their experience at the budget retailer as best in Which?’s annual survey. Last year’s most popular supermarket Waitrose fell to fourth-highest, below Marks & Spencer and Lidl. Respondents rated Aldi’s value for money very highly, and were [...]
Transport minister Jo Johnson calls for diesel-only trains to be ditched by 2040 and fast rollout of hydrogen train trials February 12, 2018 Transport minister Jo Johnson will today call for diesel-only trains to be taken off Britain’s railways by 2040, as the government seeks to tap the use of alternatives such as hydrogen. As battery technologies improve, the government expects to see the diesel engines in bi-modes replaced with batteries powering the train between the electrified sections [...]
UK M&A dealmakers ramp up charge on US acquisitions as the States takes the spotlight over China and India February 12, 2018 UK dealmakers upped the number of US acquisitions in the second half of last year – rising more than a fifth, according to fresh analysis by Deloitte. Its latest US/UK M&A deal monitor found that the UK acquired 109 US firms in the second half of the year, up 23.9 per cent on the 88 [...]
Lloyds Banking Group becomes first FTSE 100 firm to set ethnic diversity target February 11, 2018 Lloyds Banking Group is to be the first FTSE 100 group to set a formal target to make its senior staff more ethnically diverse. The group has set a target of making eight per cent of its senior management black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME). Currently 5.3 per cent of the people who hold these [...]
Citi picks London for latest fintech innovation hub February 11, 2018 Citigroup has selected London’s tech hub as the next site in its innovation lab network, creating new jobs on the fringes of the City. Headquartered in one of WeWork’s shared workspaces in Moorgate, the London innovation lab will employ 75 technologists from different backgrounds. It is the latest in a string of technology hubs set [...]
Deliveroo IPO could be on menu with star tech startup said to be eyeing 2019 float February 11, 2018 An IPO could be on the menu for one of the UK's most high profile and fastest growing tech startups. Deliveroo has appointed PwC to evaluate is strategic options, the Sunday Times reports, with a float in either London or New York being considered for 2019. Founder Will Shu, formerly an investment banker, has previously [...]
Bitcoin price (BTC) is yo-yoing February 11, 2018 Bitcoin continues to yo-yo after a particularly rough month for the notoriously volatile cryptocurrency, The price dipped back below $8,000 on Sunday morning after briefly surpassing $9,000 earlier on Saturday, the latter being a week high. Bitcoin has lost more than half its value since hitting an all-time high of more than $19,000 at the [...]
Brexit “already being felt” warn farmers and food industry February 11, 2018 Farmers and food producers have warned that the effects of the Brexit vote are already being felt even before Britain has left the European Union. The £112bn a year food industry warned that it will be “deeply affected by Brexit” and that it has already started to happen. Read more: A rebel Tory MP thinks [...]
Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane says “no rush” for interest rate rise February 11, 2018 The Bank of England’s chief economist has said there is “no rush” to raise interest rates to levels seen in the past. Andy Haldane, who sits on the central bank’s monetary policy committee (MPC) which is in charge of setting interest rates, said that while there would likely be “some further tightening of policy” it [...]