Luxury holiday site Secret Escapes expands operations to France and Eastern Europe August 8, 2016 Cut-price luxury holiday site Secret Escapes has no time to relax by the pool this summer, as the company has expanded its operations into another four European countries. The flash sales travel hub is now available in France, where it will be called Evasions Secretes, as well as Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic. In [...]
Row between unions and EDF over Hinkley delay ramps up August 8, 2016 French unions have said that the EDF's approval of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant isn’t valid, dealing another blow to the firm in their battle over the project's affordability. They said all of the French utility giant’s board members should have been made aware of the UK government’s intention to delay its decision on Hinkley, after [...]
Banks got a boost from brokers’ ratings August 8, 2016 Banks were the kings of the stock exchange today after their shares received a valuable thumbs up. Barclays closed up 3.6 per cent at 157.40p, no doubt buoyed by Exane BNP upgrading it to outperform from neutral. [stockChart code="BARC" date="2016-08-08 12:22"] Barclays was the second-highest riser in the FTSE 100, following fellow bank RBS, which closed up [...]
Owen Smith says that under the Conservatives Britain is the “sick man leaving Europe” August 8, 2016 Labour leadership contender Owen Smith has said that under the Conservatives Britain is the "sick man leaving Europe", adding that the country is too dependent on the City and financial services. Speaking in Newcastle, Smith said that action taken by the Bank of England last week shows the British economy is on a cliff edge, requiring an urgent [...]
Robots: They’re coming for our jobs – and our world records… August 8, 2016 A Chinese company has set a new world record for the most robots dancing simultaneously. We're all aware that it's only a matter of time before our robot overlords machines take over our jobs, and now they're coming after our hobbies too – and even managing to set Guinness World Records. Engineering firm Ever Win [...]
Business groups slam RMT’s strike on Southern Rail August 8, 2016 Business groups have hit out at RMT's strike on Southern Rail, which parent Govia has said will bring misery to hundreds of thousands of commuters. London First said the strike is "totally unjustified" and punishes commuters. David Leam, infrastructure director at business group London First, said: "The RMT's strike is totally unjustified. It punishes the many commuters [...]
A probe into Premier League broadcast rights has been dropped August 8, 2016 A major probe into the rights to air Premier League football on UK television has been dropped by the regulator. The two-year probe has been drawn to a close after Ofcom decided there was enough progress being made on making more games available to watch while football fans seemed largely happy. The investigation was first launched [...]
The pound has not been so sterling after Brexit: How currency weakness will hit our travel plans, inflation and trade August 8, 2016 The pound has been steadily falling as the Brexit referendum and Bank of England’s moves to shore up the economy have pushed investors into selling the pound. Its downward slide over the last 12 months means sterling is now worth 16 per cent less against the dollar, at £1/$1.31, compared to £1/$1.56 previously. It’s even [...]
Posh crisp maker Tyrrells snapped up by Amplify Snack Brands for £300m August 8, 2016 US publicly-listed food group Amplify Snack Brands has acquired posh crisp and popcorn maker Tyrrells in a £300m deal. Tyrrells' chief executive, David Milner, will become president international of Amplify Snack Brands upon completion of the takeover. The premium, hand-cooked potato and vegetable crisp maker has expanded into other savoury snacks such as popcorn in recent [...]
Office capital values in the City of London hit after the Brexit vote August 8, 2016 Commercial property capital values fell in July due to heightened uncertainty after the Brexit vote, and offices in the City of London were the worst hit. Capital values fell by 3.3 per cent, according to CBRE's monthly index, with the value of offices in the City of London falling by 6.1 per cent. Read more: Commercial and City [...]