Tight labour market should not make Bank of England raise rates automatically says MPC economist January 13, 2017 A tightening labour market should not necessarily prompt the Bank of England (BoE) to raise interest rates, according to a member of the Bank’s rate-setting body. “Monetary policy should not be set in a way that seeks to rule out sub-5% unemployment over time,” Michael Saunders, an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee [...]
Britons face more price hikes with Sky next to increase costs January 13, 2017 Sky has jumped on the bandwagon of companies hiking prices, with line rental charges set to increase from 1 March. The news comes just days after free-to-air competitor Freesat pointed out that since 2010 the cost of Sky TV had risen at four times the rate of inflation and twice the pace rail fares have increased. [...]
And you thought 2016 was bad – Freddos are soon going to cost 30p January 13, 2017 As if we didn't have enough to deal with this Friday 13th, with Snowmageddon raging on (we're told), now Cadbury's owner Mondelez has delivered a shocking blow. The price of a Freddo bar will rise to 30p later this year. Yes, that's 30 British pennies. The recommended retail price for the beloved chocolate frogs will [...]
Number of first-time buyers hits 10-year high January 13, 2017 The number of first-time buyers has reached a 10-year high last year. According to Halifax, there were 335,750 first-time buyers in 2016, up 7.3 per cent on the year before, but still well below the pre-crisis peak of 402,800 in 2006. The average age of a first-time buyer was 30, and they spent an average £205,170 [...]
A wine delivery service uses letterbox-shaped bottles so you don’t miss a delivery January 13, 2017 A London entrepreneur has solved the problem of missed wine bottle deliveries. After winning £20,000 in prize money on CNBC's Pop Up Start Up TV show, Joe Revell said he is launching his subscription-based Garcon Wines in the UK. The Graze-like business model is enhanced by a "revolutionary" bottle design which the company says will allow easier deliveries. Read [...]
Mitchells & Butlers reports strong festive period with sales up 4.7 per cent January 13, 2017 Pub, bar and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers has reported an uptick in sales during the first quarter of the year, citing a particularly strong festive period. The figures Like-for-like sales growth for the year-to-date increased to 1.7 per cent in the 15 weeks to 7 January, with trading over the festive period "particularly strong [...]
Not hampered: Fortnum & Mason posts record Christmas results January 13, 2017 Fortnum & Mason enjoyed a record festive period, as customers flocked to high-end Christmas gifts, including the retailer’s signature hampers. The figures Like-for-like sales up to 1 January increased by 16 per cent on the previous year, driven by a 22 per cent increase in online sales for the year. Indeed, Fortnum’s online trading contributed [...]
Now the London party is over, housebuilders must help tidy up January 13, 2017 Barratt Homes said yesterday it is struggling in London – an admission that came as no surprise. The housebuilder is one of several to have jumped on the London bandwagon in the first half of this decade, merrily buying up land all over the capital as house prices whooshed upwards. But its first half results, [...]
“Brexit tourists” from Hong Kong, China and UAE spent millions on British high streets this Christmas January 13, 2017 Tourist spending is expected to hit a record high this year, but figures to be published today show the weak pound has already given the UK economy a significant boost. So-called "Brexit tourists" took advantage of the pound's slump by spending more than £725m on British high streets in December, the data shows. Payment processor Worldpay analysed transaction data [...]
Editor’s notes: Carney can see what EU officials refuse to: that they need the City January 13, 2017 Mark Carney isn’t the kind of man to lose his temper in public. Perhaps he isn’t even the kind of man to lose his temper at all. Still, if he was ever to come close to doing so it may well have been at this week’s Treasury Select Committee hearing, where he once again came up [...]