When it comes to public perception it pays not to short-change staff February 1, 2017 Towards the end of December, there was a row involving luxury department store Harrods. Waiting and kitchen staff took industrial action because they alleged that the business’s owners retained up to 75 per cent of service charge, which reduced pay by up to £5,000 a year. Harrods has subsequently vowed to let staff keep 100 [...]
Why Tesco could be better off leaving Booker on the shelf February 1, 2017 The stock market’s initial reaction to takeover deals can often be a poor indicator of how those deals work out. Just look at the market’s sceptical response to Sainsbury’s purchase of Argos owner Home Retail Group as a recent example. Now we have another unexpected deal in the supermarket sector with Tesco bidding to take [...]
Why the economics profession remains blind to the benefits of Brexit February 1, 2017 The office for National Statistics last week estimated that the UK economy grew at an annual rate of 2.4 per cent in the final quarter of last year. This is slightly above the long-term average growth of the past three decades. But a Financial Times survey this month showed that the majority of economists remain [...]
How to salvage a broken New Year’s resolution February 1, 2017 As we move into February, it is probably fair to assume that many of you will have already abandoned your New Year’s resolutions. You may even be giving yourself a hard time about this and be feeling completely demotivated or lacking in self-worth. The reality is that most of these resolutions were doomed from the [...]
London urgently needs a new devolution deal to protect our city’s economy from Brexit risks February 1, 2017 During the mayoral election, I promised City A.M. readers that I would be the most pro-business mayor London has ever seen. And I’ve spent every day of the last eight months working to keep that promise and to keep London the best place in the world to do business. I’m working with industry leaders from [...]
Exit the dragon: Moonpig founder Nick Jenkins rubbish tips, accurately exercising dogs and how to make a difference February 1, 2017 "My mental maths has certainly got loads better. They take your phone away so we have to do all the calculations in our heads, on the spot," says Nick Jenkins, the Dragons’ Den dragon, founder of Moonpig and businessman whose personal wealth stands at around £150m. Jenkins, who is leaving the BBC show at the end of [...]
After Donald Trump sacked the acting attorney general, are America’s checks and balances under threat? February 1, 2017 Dr Brian Klaas, fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics, says Yes. Students of American democracy around the world learn that the brilliance of the system lies in three magic words: checks and balances. The problem is that the checks and balances themselves are not magic. America’s democratic institutions are only as [...]
Shop prices drop at the beginning of January as retailers clear Christmas stock February 1, 2017 Shop prices fell at the beginning of January as retailers cut prices to clear leftover Christmas stock. Overall, shop prices fell by 1.7 per cent year-on-year between 3 January and 9 January, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen. Price cuts were particularly dramatic in clothing and footwear, with prices falling [...]
The Department for Transport pledges to improve accessibility on trains for disabled people February 1, 2017 The Department for Transport (DfT) has committed to improving disabled access to toilets on trains and stages. Clearer information will be made about the availability of accessible toilets in advance of journeys and the DfT will work with train companies to assess how staff training can be improved. It added that where facilities are out [...]
UK consumers are set for a big hit as inflation spikes this year February 1, 2017 Inflation is set to spike this year with the hit to consumer spending denting UK growth, according to an influential group of economists. Annual growth in the consumer price index will average 3.3 per cent in 2017, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr), before slowing to 2.9 per cent next [...]