Shoe Zone’s sales slip January 11, 2017 Budget shoe retailer Shoe Zone reported a drop in revenues this morning after a period of shutting down its loss-making stores. In its full-year results – covering the year to 1 October 2016 – Shoe Zone said its revenues fell 4.2 per cent to £159.8m from £166.8m the year before. Profits were relatively flat, increasing [...]
Cutting the beer duty in the March budget will inspire investment and protect jobs during uncertain times January 11, 2017 The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) has called on the government to cut the beer duty to encourage investment, protect jobs and improve confidence in the sector. Beer duty was frozen in the last Autumn Statement, but the BBPA said the industry is struggling: the UK's beer duty is higher than those in other European countries. Now, the BBPA has released [...]
TfL braced for wintry weather as it pledges to minimise travel disruption after snow warning for the capital January 11, 2017 Transport for London (TfL) has said it's braced for wintry weather with plans to keep rail and road networks open, after a 24-hour strike brought numerous services to a halt on Monday. There hasn't been significant snowfall for three winters, but the Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for London, forecasting a risk of snow [...]
Who owns the UK’s railways? Well, not British firms in many cases January 11, 2017 The sale of the C2C rail franchise – labelled by consumer groups as the best network into London – has once again sparked concerns that Britain's railways are being taken over by foreign, often state-owned, firms. National Express' sale of its final franchise in the UK was part of the FTSE 250 firm's strategy to target [...]
The Garden Bridge’s trustees warn the project could cost more than the £185m planned January 11, 2017 The Garden Bridge's future has come into doubt after its trustees said today that it could cost more than the £185m planned and that it was "difficult" to conclude that it was a going concern. The project has been hampered by delays, pushing up the costs associated with the project. Accounts filed on Companies House [...]
Ditched auditor brought back to investigate Tesco Bank hack January 11, 2017 Tesco has turned to its former auditor, which it axed after more than 30 years in the wake of a profit blackhole, to investigate a cyber attack on its bank. PwC was brought in by Tesco Bank to investigate an attack in November which forced it to repay £2.5m to customers who had been targeted by [...]
Bank of England governor Mark Carney reaffirms Brexit no longer the biggest risk to UK’s financial stability January 11, 2017 The governor of the Bank of England confirmed today that Brexit is not the biggest risk to the UK's financial stability. Speaking in front of the Treasury Select Committee, Mark Carney said that it was the opinion of the Bank that the biggest risks to the UK's financial system were global ones. "[Brexit] has some [...]
Businesses could be hit with £1,000 levy per EU worker after Brexit January 11, 2017 Employers could face a £1,000 charge for every EU worker they recruit under plans being considered by the Home Office. Immigration minister Robert Goodwill revealed the controversial plans earlier today in a House of Lords subcommittee looking at post-Brexit migration rules. Goodwill claimed the charge will "be helpful to British workers who feel they are overlooked". Read [...]
In pictures: London City Airport returns to the archives to document its 30 years in pictures January 11, 2017 London City Airport is celebrating its 30 year history and releasing archive pictures including how the capital's skyline has changed since the airport's opening in 1987. The airport, which is located less than six miles from the City of London – and recently won the battle over its claim to be the only airport actually in London [...]
Lloyds, TSB and Halifax’s online banking systems are back after an outage January 11, 2017 Twitter was a-ring with annoyed Lloyds, Halifax and TSB customers this afternoon, after the online banking systems of all three went down. Customers said they were unable to access their accounts either online or in their app. Although TSB is no longer owned by Lloyds Banking Group, its systems were also affected. @AskLloydsBank being down [...]