Apprenticeship levy bashed by UK businesses August 16, 2018 Business groups took a fresh swipe at the government’s apprenticeship levy today as the latest figures revealed a plunge in new starts this year. The number of new apprentices has slumped by 31 per cent year-on-year during the academic year so far, Department for Education data showed. There have been 315,900 apprenticeship starts reported to [...]
Turkish President Erdogan says collapse in lira a political plot against the country August 16, 2018 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that the collapse in the value of the Turkish lira was a political plot against the country. Speaking to a crowd of supporters in the Black Sea coastal city of Trabzon, Erdogan said: “What is the reason for all this storm in a tea cup? There is no [...]
Taxing Amazon won’t save the UK high street August 16, 2018 A couple of years ago, a well-known retailer announced a bold new strategy for its online offering, including a proposal to shut down its website outside normal working hours so that shoppers could savour the times when it was open. It was, of course, an April Fool’s prank, but it has lingered in the memory far [...]
Countrywide of the mark as pay rebellion looms August 16, 2018 Beleaguered estate agent Countrywide could be the victim of its second shareholder rebellion in two months amid a bitter row over executive pay. Under-fire chairman Peter Long is facing the wrath of City institutions who are understood to be planning a revolt over a new incentive scheme, according to reports in Sky News. In a [...]
Price is right for Asda as it scores fifth quarter of growth August 16, 2018 Asda continued its streak of growth yesterday with a fifth consecutive rise in same-store sales ahead of its proposed merger with Sainsbury’s. The supermarket posted a 2.4 per cent improvement in net sales in its second quarter results, fuelled by its online business and a 25 per cent jump in sales of its George clothing [...]
Sadiq Khan tells government: Give me the power to limit number of cars August 15, 2018 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has demanded new powers to bring in a controversial cap on the number of private hire vehicles (PHVs) operating in the capital, following a similar clampdown in New York. Last week New York became the first major American city to introduce the one-year cap on cars used by platforms such [...]
Turkish President Erdogan has no one to blame but himself August 15, 2018 US President Donald Trump has done everything in his power to help fuel the narrative his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, wants to portray, stoking the fires of the country’s currency crisis through sanctions and, of course, tweets. Erdogan has cast himself as a man of the people fighting against external forces, and now the [...]
House prices in the capital sink to lowest level since financial crisis August 15, 2018 London house prices have fallen at their fastest annual rate since the financial crisis, dragging the UK property market down to its lowest levels of growth in five years. House prices in London tumbled 0.7 per cent in the year to June 2018, marking the sharpest decline in annual growth since a 3.2 per cent [...]
PwC slammed for ‘inadequate’ checks on BHS August 15, 2018 Auditing giant PwC has been slammed for multiple failings in its checks on BHS in the days before it was sold for a pound, only a year before the retailer collapse into administration. The firm carried out “inadequate” work on the business, with individuals being “too close to the management”, the Financial Reporting Council has [...]
European firms ‘unprepared’ for ‘no deal’ Brexit warn EU business groups August 14, 2018 European firms are unprepared for a “no deal” Brexit, risking widespread economic damage on both sides of the Channel if the UK leaves the EU in a disorderly manner, European business groups have warned. A “no deal” scenario would have major consequences for European companies if it means customs procedures, travel arrangements, and product standards [...]