Strong rule of law needed for steady business, finds report by law firm Linklaters November 9, 2015 The rule of law – essentially, the idea that nobody is above the law – has come under threat in recent years, and could lower the UK’s desirability to do business with, according to a report released today by Linklaters. The magic circle firm’s study, entitled In defence of the Rule of Law, argues that [...]
Executive pay packets now closer aligned to company performance, finds new report by professional services firm PwC November 9, 2015 Bosses’ bumper pay packets have become more reflective of company performance, according to a new report released this morning. In their study, called Sunlight is the best disinfectant, PwC argues that greater transparency has firmer tied executive bonuses to company performance. By examining FTSE 100 companies over the last five years, the audit giant has [...]
UK Christmas sales 2015: Consumer spending soars as retailers worry over upcoming figures November 9, 2015 A double-whammy of sales data has suggested we could be in for bumper Christmas sales figures. Card giants Visa and Barclaycard both report that spending bounced back from a summer slow down in October. Visa’s index found spending growth rose to a three-month high last month, up 2.1 per cent, while Barclaycard revealed spending growth [...]
UK employment statistics 2015: Job vacancies on the rise across London November 9, 2015 Jobs are on the up across a variety of sectors, according to several reports released today. The number of new vacancies in financial services in London rose by seven per cent to 9,480 in October compared to the month before, recruitment consultancy Morgan McKinley found. The figure also represents a 28 per cent increase compared [...]
Northern SMEs and firms hit by hidden credit crunch November 9, 2015 Twice as many small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the North of England have had their overdraft facilities axed as those in the London, according to research from business financial comparison site Funding Options. In the past two years 55 per cent of businesses in the North were found to have had their overdrafts [...]
Amazon Black Friday 2015 UK deals: 7,000 bargains to attract one in five shoppers as Amazon Marketplace joins the sales frenzy for the first time November 9, 2015 One in five British shoppers are expected to take part in this year’s Black Friday shopping frenzy on 27 November, data from business analytics firm SAS shows, as the UK’s gears up for its biggest online shopping day of the year. Meanwhile Amazon today revealed that it will feature more than 7,000 deals during the week starting at midnight [...]
PwC: Investment in UK-held assets will account for more than half of all investment across Europe November 9, 2015 British banks are leading the way in disposing of unwanted loan portfolios, according to a new report out today from PwC. Analysts from PwC’s portfolio advisory group found that European banks are disposing of unwanted loan portfolios at record rates and performing portfolios are becoming increasing popular, with investment in UK-held assets accounting for more [...]
Capital & Counties eyes sale of £300m Olympia exhibition centre November 8, 2015 The Olympia exhibition centre in West London is being prepped for a £300m sale by its owners Capital & Counties (Capco). The FTSE 250 property company, which is behind the £8bn regeneration of Earl’s Court, confirmed it has hired agents at CBRE and investment bank Rothschild to explore options for the events venue. “Following the successful [...]
Sainsbury’s counts the cost of supermarket price war November 8, 2015 Sainsbury's is expected to unveil a near 25 per cent slide in first half underlying profits on Wednesday, as efforts to compete with rivals and stay ahead in the supermarket price war hurt margins. Analysts at Barclays expect margins to fall by 60 basis points to 2.5 per cent and underlying profit before tax to decline by [...]
Retailers in focus as season winds down – New York Report November 8, 2015 A cloud of pessimism may have burned off for many investors on a bright October US jobs report on Friday, but much of the global economy – including China, which not long ago was a top worry for the US Federal Reserve – remains vulnerable. With markets having swung in just a few weeks from [...]