Technology job market: UK firms more likely to take on an IT contractor than those in the US, although some employers remain reluctant December 16, 2015 The UK seems to have fallen for computer geeks, with 76 per cent of UK businesses making use of IT contractors. According to a survey of executives with hiring and firing responsibilities released today by IT resourcing specialist Experis, a greater proportion UK firms are taking on contractors than in the US (66 per cent), Japan (65 per [...]
St Pancras’ Sourced Market beats £750,000 funding target with a minibond series on Crowdcube December 16, 2015 Sourced Market, the artisan food market based in St Pancras station, has raised £765,000 in a mini bond series on crowdfunding site Crowdcube. The shop/cafe offers a range of artisan food and fresh produce curated from across London's markets and local delicatessens, and will use the investment to fund its expansion with new sites in Victoria and Marylebone planned for next year. [...]
Dixons Carphone hails bigger than ever Black Friday as profits beat forecasts December 16, 2015 Dixons Carphone shares climbed three per cent higher this morning after the high street electricals giant beat City expectations with a 23 per cent jump in first-half profits. The FTSE 100 company, which trades as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse in the UK and Ireland, said strong performance in the UK helped it outperform the [...]
Christmas gifts 2015: Sales of BBQS, board games and prosecco gummy bears are on the up at John Lewis, but the halls will be decked in more muted colour themes December 16, 2015 One of our favourite tipples has proven popular in a more unusual format, with sales of prosecco flavoured gummy bears bouncing 106 per cent week-on-week at John Lewis, the retail giant said today. Meanwhile, post-Christmas lunch entertainment might be a low-tech affair, with sales of board games rolling in 183 per cent higher year-on-year. And December this year has [...]
Fed rate hike: What you need to know about ahead of Janet Yellen’s big decision on US interest rates, from why it’s important to when it’s announced December 16, 2015 The world is waiting on tenterhooks for the outcome of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy meeting, with the US central bank widely expected to announce its first interest rate hike in nearly a decade tonight. Barring “unanticipated shocks”, Fed members are expected to vote to lift rates by quarter to half a percentage point from their current historic low. After [...]
Christmas gifts 2015: Almost half of UK adults have at least one relative living abroad and 16 December is expected to be the day we are most likely to send money overseas December 16, 2015 Business has become more global but it turns out the same is true for family matters. A study out today from the Post Office International Payments has found that 41 per cent of UK adults now have at least one relative living overseas. So, if you've found yourself grappling with last postage dates for overseas for [...]
RBS’ Williams & Glyn trade sale (or IPO) to kick-start next year December 16, 2015 Santander UK or Virgin Money could be planning to buy the Williams & Glyn business from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) after the taxpayer backed bank said it would begin the sale process in the first half of next year. There has been no formal offer made for Williams & Glyn by either UK challenger, which [...]
The Bank of England will look for an all clear from the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision December 16, 2015 When the United States Federal Reserve finally raises its benchmark interest rate after seven long years at zero, no central bank will be watching what happens more carefully than the Bank of England (BoE). After all, the cyclical similarities between the UK and US mean markets will be looking to BoE as the next central bank [...]
Domino’s takes a slice of the German pizza market with $86m deal to buy Joey’s Pizza December 16, 2015 Germany's largest pizza chain, Joey's Pizza, is being bought jointly by the owners of Domino's Pizza in Australia and the UK. London-listed Domino's Pizza Group and Sydney-listed Domino's Pizza Enterprises are entering into a deal worth an estimated $86m (£57.2m). Germany has the fourth largest pizza market in the world, and taking ownership of Joey's [...]
FTSE posts biggest one-day gain in over two months – London Report December 16, 2015 The top FTSE index rose yesterday after eight straight sessions of falls, with supermarkets, commodity stocks and firms with South African exposure among the companies rebounding from previous falls. The FTSE 100 was up 2.5 per cent at 6,017.79 points at its close, its biggest one-day gain in over two months, having fallen 8.5 per [...]