The big takeaway: How City Pantry is stirring up the catering industry January 7, 2019 London's food revolution has happened remarkably quickly. In a matter of years, the city has opened up to a world of cuisine, and is now home to more street food vendors than you can shake a crab stick at. Take sushi shops: almost unheard of in London 20 years ago (many Brits grimaced at the thought [...]
Honesty: Coming to an office near you January 7, 2019 Last year, after reading Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life, I wrote a column about lying. While Peterson’s book argued that one should always tell the truth, I countered that, in a work environment, such philosophy was unrealistic. Honesty can get you fired. I would know. “What did you think about my speech?” my boss [...]
Londoners set to bag two per cent pay rise in 2019 as job vacancies jump January 4, 2019 London workers will enjoy a 2.4 per cent increase in their salaries this year, making the capital one of the best cities in the UK for pay rises. The welcome boost to pay packets will take the average salary in the capital to £38,600, according to a new report from online job site CV Library. [...]
From Veganuary to Dryathlons, so begins the month of self-inflicted misery… January 4, 2019 The first few weeks of the year are when the office mood is at its glummest. Blue Monday, a concept created in 2005 (albeit by a holiday company trying to get people to book), and billed as “the most depressing day of the year” falls soon. No one agrees if it’s the second or third [...]
Bowmark Capital closes £600m UK-focused fund amid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2019 Private equity firm Bowmark Capital has raised £600m to invest in UK companies, indicating investor confidence in British business despite Brexit uncertainty. A total of 44 per cent of the capital has come from European investors, and 35 was invested from North America, the company said. The Bowmark Capital Partners VI fund reached its target in [...]
Government-backed financial guidance body launches, combining three previous advisory services January 3, 2019 The Money Advice Service, the Pensions Advisory Service and Pensions Wise have been pulled together to form one central financial advice service. The Single Guidance Finance Body (SFGB), funded by levies on the financial services industry and pension schemes, launched for the new year comprising the staff of the three previous bodies. Although not a government [...]
Seven skills to help you beat the January blues January 3, 2019 The run-up to Christmas is full of bonhomie, parties and cheer, but the weeks afterwards can often seem empty and dreary, with months of winter still to get through. We’re all at risk of the blues, with that crucial third Monday of January – Blue Monday – being the worst day of all. So here [...]
With mobile technology, we can empower the world’s unbanked January 3, 2019 Financial inclusion must become the watch-word for 2019. An estimated 1.7bn adults worldwide do not have access to formal financial services – that’s 31 per cent of the adult population who do not have a bank account. Incapable of borrowing, saving, or investing money and protecting themselves, exclusion from the global money system denies these individuals [...]
Pensions data is stuck in the ‘dark ages’, says former pensions minister Ros Altmann January 2, 2019 The pensions industry is “light years behind where it should be” in the way it handles data, endangering the success of modernisation drives such as the government’s pensions dashboard project, according to a former pensions minister. Many small firms still handle employee data manually from spreadsheets, and half of customer auto-enrolment data uploaded by these [...]
Stock predictions 2019: Which stocks and shares will do well this year? January 2, 2019 After a tumultuous year in the markets with Brexit uncertainty, the threat of trade war and rapidly changing consumer habits, the FTSE 100 suffered its worst year since the financial crisis in 2018, ending it 12.5 per cent down. While there is no sign that 2019 will be any less eventful, with the date Britain [...]
