Most bank branches could close over the next 10 to 20 years September 11, 2014 Most bank branches could close over the next 10 to 20 years, shaking up the whole landscape of British banking – and the high street – industry analysts predicted yesterday. In a decade, a bank could serve the whole UK with just 500 branches, Deutsche Bank analysts forecast. Right now Lloyds Banking Group has more [...]
What’s in a name? Salesforce set to lose battle to rename Heron Tower September 11, 2014 The controversial renaming of Heron Tower to Salesforce Tower is set to be abandoned after the owners of the City skyscraper agreed this week to withdraw the application. The parties involved are understood to be close to reaching an agreement that will see the building called simply 110 Bishopsgate, its street name, with existing name [...]
Scottish independence: Boost for No as Alex Salmond’s economic plan torn apart September 11, 2014 An influential thinktank yesterday tore apart Alex Salmond’s economic plan for an independent Scotland, warning that a Yes vote will make it harder to protect public spending from cuts. The blow to Salmond’s case for independence came as a number of high-profile UK retailers and banks added their names to a growing list citing concerns [...]
Amazon planning to more than double its workforce in London September 11, 2014 Online retail giant Amazon has signed a deal to open a huge office around the corner from Silicon Roundabout, where it will more than double its current total UK corporate workforce to more than 5,000 employees. Amazon’s new home will be Principal Place, a massive development between Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street stations, which [...]
EU leaders give green light to Russia sanctions September 11, 2014 EUROPEAN leaders have agreed a plan to enact tough new sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine. The decision was made yesterday morning and the sanctions, which are expected to further restrict the import of dual-use goods, restrict bank loans and make it harder for Russia to do business with the EU on oil [...]
Next profits up after recovery spurs spending September 11, 2014 NEXT yesterday reported strong half-year profits, fuelled by the economic recovery, rising house prices and higher household spending. Total sales were 10.3 per cent stronger than for the same period last year and pre-tax profits rose 19.3 per cent to £324.2m, compared with £271.8m a year earlier. But the fashion and home retailer said it [...]
Europe’s biggest banks are still facing dozens more giant fines September 11, 2014 EUROPE’S biggest banks could face as many as 63 more giant fines between them over the coming years as regulators continue to comb through their misdeeds, analysts at Berenberg warned yesterday. There are 15 major issues still outstanding which could lead to fines of more than €100m (£80m) each, per bank. Those investigations include Libor [...]
Autonomy hits back at HP’s fraud allegation September 11, 2014 Autonomy founder Mike Lynch yesterday hit back at Hewlett-Packard’s allegations of fraud by publishing a file of internal documents that he claimed contradicted some of his accuser’s most damaging accusations. HP last week publicly disclosed for the first time some of the detail behind its allegations that it was forced to write down more than [...]
BlackBerry swoops for London mobile software startup Movirtu September 11, 2014 BLACKBERRY, the struggling smartphone maker, has bought London-based startup Movirtu, a firm that makes software that allows users to have multiple phone numbers on the same device. BlackBerry yesterday said the move would help it target smartphone users who increasingly use a single device for personal calls and business. Chief executive John Chen said: “In [...]
Waitrose feels the pressure as profit declines September 11, 2014 The John Lewis Partnership warned yesterday that the grocery market would remain tough for some time, as a strong performance across its department stores helped offset a decline at its grocery chain Waitrose. The middle-class food retailer, which accounts for about two-thirds of the group’s sales, has grown its share of the market thanks to [...]