Pubs reap rewards of World Cup summer as third quarter beer sales grow, but Brexit uncertainty looms December 3, 2018 The haze of a long, hot World Cup summer drove British drinkers to buy more beer in the third quarter than the year before for the first time in more than 15 years. UK pubs saw beer sales grow 0.9 per cent year on year from August to October, with around 941.5m pints changing hands over [...]
Football fan club Otro nets £50m backing from 23 Capital December 3, 2018 Digital football fan club Otro has received backing worth tens of millions of pounds from venture capital firm 23 Capital ahead of its eagerly-anticipated launch today. Online platform Otro, which provides fans with curated content from global football stars, today revealed it had secured backing following weeks of growing speculation about the new site. City [...]
Consumers warned of Christmas cons as fake goods cases continue to rise December 3, 2018 Shoppers have been warned to be on the alert this Christmas as the number of court cases involving high value fake goods continues to rise. There have been 39 cases involving counterfeit goods worth more than £116m in the last two years, according to new data from KPMG’s Fraud Barometer. The research found that more [...]
British tax burden at 50-year high, according to TaxPayers’ Alliance December 2, 2018 The TaxPayers’ Alliance campaign group has called for lower taxes as ‘poorest’ families struggle with current levels. The TPA, linked to the Atlas Network of free market advocates, said the UK’s tax take was at a 50-year high of 34.6 per cent of GDP. National current receipts are at a 21-year high as a proportion [...]
Macron feels the heat as protests ramp up December 2, 2018 When Emmanuel Macron landed in Paris after the G20 summit in Argentina his motorcade delivered him straight to the Arc de Triomphe, where he was confronted with a vivid depiction of the anger felt by many of his citizens – and of his own place in this crisis. One of the country's most famous monuments [...]
Flybe and Monarch in bitter dispute over alleged breach of maintenance contract December 2, 2018 Beleaguered airline Flybe is locked in a war of words with Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) over a terminated maintenance contract. Exeter-based airline Flybe, which put itself up for sale last month, terminated a contract with the aircraft repair company for maintenance services. The airline has accused MAEL of breaching the contract by withdrawing its services “unilaterally”. “Flybe [...]
Takeover saves 260 jobs at luxury furniture maker Smallbone December 2, 2018 Luxury furniture maker Smallbone of Devizes has been rescued from going under after finding a new buyer to help save the brand. US investor Sapphire 700 has bought the company’s parent Canburg, which also owns Mark Wilkinson Furniture and Brookmans. The deal helps save 260 jobs in the three brands, and keeps production in Devizes, Wiltshire, [...]
Hedge funds bet big on Shire deal ahead of Takeda investor vote December 2, 2018 Two hedge funds have bet over £1bn that Takeda Pharmaceuticals will club through its acquisition of Shire at a shareholder meeting On Wednesday. US billionaire Seth Klarman’s Baupost took a 1.12 per cent stake in Shire earlier this month, hoping that the company’s stocks will rise after the deal is approved. Alongside its holdings in [...]
Embankment traffic harming 15,000 east London businesses, study warns December 2, 2018 Heavy traffic on the Embankment is causing serious economic harm to east London businesses, a new study has warned. Research by transport economists Volterra Partners revealed the removal of a traffic lane on the A3211, which runs between Westminster Bridge and Tower Hill, has significantly increased journey times. Volterra partners said increased congestion has meant [...]
Private sector growth slows amid ‘lacklustre’ conditions as Brexit uncertainty weighs on firms December 2, 2018 Private sector growth slowed in the quarter to November amid “lacklustre” conditions, with activity relatively stable compared to a rise in previous monthly figures. According to a survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the balance of firms reporting a rise in output was two per cent in the three months to November, down [...]