Tesco’s Drastic Dave must keep delivering to revive fortunes of the supermarket giant October 5, 2016 Tesco's slogan “every little helps” was aimed at cost-conscious shoppers in the financial crisis, but the same could also be said of the grocer’s gradual recovery under CEO Dave Lewis. Two years into his tenure, the retailer can perhaps add a new catchline to its roster: buy everything here. Lewis is steering the Tesco juggernaut [...]
Jeremy Hunt’s anti-foreigner agenda will devastate the NHS October 4, 2016 In the bizarre post-Brexit chaos, there are now increasing voices arguing that in order to curb immigration from the EU we should be willing to give up access to the Single Market. We should be clear that both of these developments would be disastrous for the City, negative for the economy as a whole and a catastrophe [...]
Sadiq Khan’s plan for one new East London road crossing just isn’t enough October 4, 2016 After years of lobbying for more fixed river crossings east of Tower Bridge, Sadiq Khan’s announcement yesterday that the Silvertown tunnel, along with a DLR extension from Gallions Reach towards Thamesmead and a cycle bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, will get the go-ahead is hugely welcome news for London. But he must not stop [...]
We need to raise our ambition on mega-infrastructure projects October 4, 2016 As commuters, we are only too aware of the increasing strain being put on our roads and railways. The problem we all face on our crowded journeys to work is one of capacity, and this acutely highlights the need for sustained infrastructure investment across our transport network in the years ahead. For Londoners at least, [...]
Our infantile political class is failing to appreciate the scale of Britain’s challenges October 4, 2016 A country on the brink of a historic transition. An economy in need of serious, long-term thinking. A wider world that, as ever, remains a work in progress. A swathe of our own population here at home that remains on the margin. These are serious, generation-spanning challenges that require all of us – whether in business, [...]
With the FTSE 100 close to an all-time high, are UK markets heading for a fall? October 4, 2016 Jason Hollands, managing director of Tilney Bestinvest, says Yes. While it’s incredibly difficult to accurately call the top of a market, what we do know is that equities never rise relentlessly in a linear fashion, and the current bull market has run on for a very long time now, despite the headwinds of weak global growth [...]
What to expect from Google: More than just devices October 4, 2016 Dubbed by Google as the biggest event since the "birth" of its Android operating system (OS) in 2008, the company's latest launch will reveal new smartphones, the marriage of its two operating systems and updates to its Chromecast entertainment streaming service. Fuelled by some rather transparent teasers, Twitter is rife with speculation and expectation. What can [...]
Stress in the City: Let’s move beyond stigmas October 4, 2016 Nearly 80 per cent of City A.M. readers have experienced poor mental health. If you look around your train carriage this morning at your fellow commuters, that should become a sobering statistic. In truth, it’s not our readers that have been surveyed, but employees across the UK. The charity Business in the Community conducted a [...]
Philip Hammond is wrong to assume an infrastructure splurge will boost growth October 3, 2016 Mention the name Philip Hammond in Westminster, and invariably someone will describe him as “a safe pair of hands”. The man who has been chancellor for three months had been largely inconspicuous in his role prior to yesterday’s conference speech. But after almost two decades of a Treasury dominated by micro-managers and tinkerers, primarily in [...]
As UK manufacturing output hits a two-year high, will Brexit rebalance the economy away from services? October 3, 2016 Damian Hind, economic & social policy research fellow at Policy Exchange, says Yes. Brexit is not a magic wand but it does give us reasons to be optimistic. Increasing manufacturing output and rebalancing the UK economy away from services has been a long standing goal for policymakers. However, the UK’s high exchange rate made this very [...]