Q&A: This is what you now need to know about the second Scottish independence referendum March 13, 2017 Nicola Sturgeon announced today she would shortly be heading to Scottish parliament to seek a second referendum on the country's independence, with the possibility the nation could be casting their votes at some point between autumn 2018 and spring 2019. But what does it all mean? Should we be surprised by the first minister's comments? Probably [...]
Glencore is reportedly making a move on Mexico’s fuel-stations business March 13, 2017 Glencore will move into Mexico's fuel-stations business with a 15-year supply deal and a $200m (£164m) investment in a joint venture, according to reports. Sources told Bloomberg the Switzerland-based commodity producer will supply 180,000 barrels per day of gasoline and diesel to 1,400 stations, which is nearly 10 per cent of the county's total. It will also spend $200m over the [...]
Potholes beware: Britain’s roads are getting worse and hitting drivers in the pocket March 13, 2017 Potholes on UK's roads are hitting drivers in the pocket, with damage to vehicles costing an average of £1,600 per incident, according to research released today. The analysis of 10,000 over-50s revealed eight out of 10 motorists think road maintenance has got worse over the last few years. Councils and highways agencies have come under increasing pressure [...]
Revealed: Notes coffee shop nets £600,000 loan from challenger bank OakNorth to open two new London branches, despite Brexit uncertainty March 13, 2017 Notes has struck a deal for a £600,000 loan to open two further branches in London, including its largest site to date, City A.M. has learnt. The coffee shop and wine bar chain, which already has six sites dotted around the capital, hopes to push ahead with aggressive growth plans in the near future and the [...]
Quintessentially Group’s estates arm is expanding to New York City March 13, 2017 London-based global property group Quintessentially Estates is expanding its international referral network to New York City in a collaboration with an estate brokerage in the Big Apple. The firm is owned by Quintessentially Group, a concierge service for billionaires that's also behind the world's biggest yacht. Its estates arm specialises in sales and acquisitions of prime residential properties in [...]
Businesses must put more cash into commercialising top tech R&D from universities, say MPs March 13, 2017 Businesses have been told to increase their investment in the world-class research and development which goes on in UK universities by MPs, to bring innovations to market and bring it in line with other countries. Members of the science and technology committee have called for a greater focus on the demands of business rather than the supply of [...]
Unions prepare counter proposal after Royal Mail pension consultation closes March 13, 2017 Royal Mail has closed a consultation over the future of its final salary pension scheme, with unions preparing a counter proposal in the hope of preserving fixed payouts to workers. The former state-owned firm revealed in January plans to shut its mammoth pension scheme that serves 90,000 postal workers. It wants to move members over to a defined contribution [...]
Sadiq Khan calls on Theresa May to prioritise a Brexit interim deal March 13, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan has warned Prime Minister Theresa May to make an interim Brexit deal one of her top priorities upon opening talks with the EU. The government's determination to close Brexit negotiations within two years risks unnecessary harm to both businesses and the wider economy, Khan said. In a formal response to the [...]
A second Scottish independence vote was inevitable – and it will be tougher to win than the first March 13, 2017 Since the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU, it has been a question of “when” rather than “if” we would see a second Scottish independence referendum. Those who declared that a second poll was not inevitable have not been listening to politics north of the border for years. The EU referendum result [...]
Lush says Brexit sent “shockwaves” through the business and threatens to focus expansion outside the UK March 13, 2017 Lush has threatened to focus its future expansion outside the UK as Brexit sent "shockwaves" through the business. The natural cosmetics firm said the 20 per cent of its UK workforce who do not have British citizenship "suddenly felt unwelcome and understandably upset" after the UK voted to leave the European Union. The bath bomb [...]