Megabrew deal: AB InBev makes formal offer to buy SABMiller for £44 a share November 11, 2015 Cheers! The megabrew deal is formally on at last, after brewing giant AB InBev made a formal offer to buy rival SABMiller for £44 a share, and SABMiller graciously accepted. The announcement comes after months of negotiations, and several extended deadlines from UK regulators. The two brewers said in a statement this morning: The boards of AB InBev and [...]
Armistice Day 2015: How and where to mark the two minutes’ silence November 11, 2015 Today is Armistice Day, when people up and down the country will remember all those lost in conflict. While the majority of the UK will no doubt be marking the day with two minutes' silence in their workplace, there are also some public commemoration services being held on the 11th hour of the 11th day [...]
Flybe revenues, profits up as turnaround starts to soar November 11, 2015 Flybe's turnaround is starting to soar, with the budget airline returning to profitability as sales rise in the first half. The figures Flybe's group revenues were up 10.3 per cent to £339.6m for the six months to 30 September, while the firm turned last year's £3.3m loss into a £22.9m profit. Cash generation improved, thanks [...]
Helmut Schmidt: As Germany loses a historic figure, the UK has lost the most Anglo-Saxon of all Chancellors at a crucial time for Brexit November 11, 2015 The death of Helmut Schmidt is a profound moment for all post-war Germans. More than any other German Chancellor, Schmidt was the incarnation of a deep commitment to his nation as a part of the European Community, but also as a strong member of the Atlantic alliance. As an inveterate workaholic, Schmidt was used to burning [...]
Sushisamba carnival party with special guest Grace Jones had a view to kill for November 11, 2015 People have different ways of coping with winter’s arrival. While many City slickers turn to warm coats and stay in the office for as long as possible, the folks at trendy Brazilian haunt Sushisamba migrated south for the night with an explosion of music and colour at the restaurant’s Amazonian third birthday party. Everyone who’s [...]
Is the John Lewis Christmas advert never knowingly over commercial? November 11, 2015 Christmas comes but once a year – as does John Lewis’ much-heralded festive TV ad campaign. And, regular as clockwork, its Man on the Moon ad was released on Friday as part of the retailer’s £7m campaign. As usual, it’s a heart-warming story played out over a now customary cover of a classic song, Oasis’ [...]
Red tape is holding UK healthcare sector back by killing innovation November 11, 2015 Healthcare providers in Britain are too bogged down in red tape to be able to innovate, new research by PA consulting shows. By ranking sectors according to innovation level, they found that bodies like the NHS pushed healthcare below life sciences, technology and the pharmaceutical industry. The researchers said a large part of the problem [...]
Three things you need to know before going freelance: Save enough money to live for two months and don’t burn bridges November 11, 2015 The idea of going freelance is exciting, daunting, empowering and also very popular. The ONS reports that the number of UK freelancers is at an all-time high, with 4.6m people working as freelancers in 2014, many of them professionals. Setting out on your own offers a real sense of freedom, and greater control over your [...]
Telco giants Vodafone, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin and BT reignite broadband battle November 11, 2015 The war of words between the UK’s biggest telecoms giants reached new heights yesterday, as the clock ticks down on Ofcom’s probe into the broadband market and decision on whether to carve out Openreach from BT. With Ofcom due to reveal its verdict in January, Vodafone’s boss accused BT of trying to “re-monopolise” the sector, prompting [...]
Rising rents mean that by 2020 over 25 per cent of consumer spending will be on household and utility bills November 11, 2015 Housing and utility bills will account for over a quarter of total UK consumer spending by 2020. Household expenses is the fastest-growing category of consumer spending, increasing at a rate of 3.5 per cent a year, compared to spending on food, which will drop 0.4 per cent a year by 2020. Higher spending reflects rising rent [...]