Adventure firm Zip World secures Lloyds investment to expand across UK January 6, 2019 Adventure company Zip World has secured investment from the private equity arm of Lloyds valuing the zip wire pioneer at £45m. The funding from LDC will help the company, which runs adventure experiences in Wales including the world’s fastest zip wire, expand across the UK and beyond, it said. Founded five year ago, Zip World [...]
Disappointing end to 2018 for UK economy could be confirmed this week January 6, 2019 A disappointing end to 2018 for the UK economy could be confirmed by official GDP figures later this week, analysts have warned. Last week the closely-followed IHS Markit/ CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) revealed a three-month low in UK construction sector activity in December and a 29-month low in job creation in the services sector. [...]
Theresa May urges MPs to back her Brexit deal as crunch vote approaches January 6, 2019 Theresa May has issued another plea to MPs to back her Brexit deal, saying it is the only way to honour the result of the referendum and protect jobs. MPs will return to parliament tomorrow where they will be preparing for the second vote on Brexit, after the first was ceremoniously pulled by May in the [...]
Retail administrations rise for the second consecutive year January 5, 2019 The number of retail administrations has risen for the second year in a row after 125 retailers collapsed in 2018. Administrations rose six per cent last year from 118 in 2017, and 26 of the retailers that collapsed were large brands, compared to 17 the year before. There was a 53 per cent increase in [...]
Rothesay plans £3.5bn takeover of Swiss Re division January 5, 2019 Insurance company Rothesay Life is planning a £3.5bn takeover bid for a unit of Swiss Re, derailing plans to list it on the stock market. Rothesay approached reinsurance firm Swiss Re a few weeks ago about the possibility of buying ReAssure, the company's British closed books division, according to Sky News. The company plans to a make a [...]
Former chiefs of UK’s nuclear body launch legal action over Magnox fiasco January 5, 2019 The former bosses of the UK’s nuclear body are caught in a legal battle over an investigation into the botched handling of the Magnox nuclear decommissioning contract. The former chairman of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Stephen Henwood and the organisation’s former chief executive John Clarke are trying to block the publication of a critical [...]
Iran says it has found new ‘potential’ oil buyers despite US sanctions January 5, 2019 Iran is hunting for new buyers for oil after all of the countries that were granted waivers from the US to continue importing have instead complied with sanctions. The US withdrew from a nuclear deal with Iran last year and imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil and banking industry, however it allowed eight countries, including China, India, [...]
Heathrow proposes up to 25,000 more flights a year January 5, 2019 Heathrow is planning to allow an extra 25,000 flights a year to increase capacity ahead of the opening of a third runway. Annual flight numbers could exceed 500,000 for the first time if the airport cancels the limit introduced as part of the planning permission for Heathrow’s Terminal 5 in 2001, the Times reported. During [...]
Donald Trump threatens to use executive power to build border wall as government shutdown talks continue January 5, 2019 US President Donald Trump has threatened to use his executive powers to force through his proposal for a border wall between the United States and Mexico with the government still in shutdown. A meeting will take place this weekend between a team of Democrats and trio of Republicans led by vice-president Mike Pence as they look [...]
Chipotle to open second restaurant in the City of London January 5, 2019 US fast food chain Chipotle is opening its second City of London branch next week. The restaurant in King William Street, near Monument station, will begin serving on Monday. The chain, which serves Mexican style food, already has a branch in the Square Mile at London Wall, as well as seven others in London including locations [...]