Slow and steady for AA as debt mountain grows September 22, 2015 The AA will lay bare the extent of its debt problems today when it releases interim results, with the company expected to say that it must pay about £150m in annual interest costs. The roadside assistance group is saddled with over £3bn of debt, linked to its takeover by private equity firms Permira, Charterhouse and [...]
George Osborne puts all economic bets on China and plans to bring the London and Shanghai Stock Exchanges closer together September 22, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne will today brush off concerns over volatility in Chinese markets and reveal new plans to connect British and Chinese stock exchanges. Unfazed by August’s market shocks, and the authoritarian response from Beijing, Osborne will say at the Shanghai Stock Exchange today: “Whatever the headlines, regardless of the challenges, we shouldn’t be [...]
iPhone 6S and 6S Plus UK release date, price, features and specs: The anatomy of the Apple’s new iPhone September 22, 2015 Oliver Smith explores the history of Apple’s smartphone, the game-changing innovations it introduced and what the new iPhone 6s means for the mobile industry today. On Friday 25th September the most valuable company in the world, Apple, will unleash its latest salvo in the smartphone wars. The iPhone 6s boasts innovative new features [...]
Carlos Portela explains what Santander Breakthrough is offering ambitious SMEs across the UK September 22, 2015 What is Breakthrough? We’re passionate about helping ambitious businesses to succeed. Building long lasting relationships with businesses runs deep in our heritage, which has helped us to appreciate the challenges they face and the support they need to overcome them. Here to fuel your entrepreneurial aspirations, Breakthrough is built around the needs of ambitious [...]
Republican Scott Walker to drop out of 2016 presidential race September 21, 2015 Republican governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is planning to drop out of the 2016 presidential race, according to media reports. Sources told the New York Times that difficulties raising money, bought about by his decline in the polls, mean Walker is no longer vying for the Republican presidential nomination. He was towards the top of [...]
Independent Catalonia would have to leave Eurozone says central bank September 21, 2015 An independent Catalonia would face almost certain ejection from the Eurozone, and the collapse of its banking system, the head of the Spanish central bank warned today. "The exit from the euro is automatic, the exit from the European Union is implied," Bank of Spain chief Luis Maria Linde said during an event in Madrid [...]
Balfour Beatty and Carillion win roads contract worth up to £292m September 21, 2015 A JOINT venture between construction groups Balfour Beatty and Carillion has won a Highways England contract to upgrade part of the A14. The companies expect the deal to generate around £292m in revenue for the joint venture. The construction package is part of the wider A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement scheme, to which the government [...]
Which? calls on FCA to investigate credit card balance transfer fees September 21, 2015 Consumer advice group Which? will today release figures that show only four per cent of consumers are able to correctly calculate credit card balance transfer fees. Balance transfers allow part or all of a card’s debit balance or debt to be transferred from one card to another. According to Which?, 21 per cent of people [...]
New UK restaurant openings soar as pubs dwindle September 21, 2015 The number of restaurants across the UK surpassed the number of pubs that are predominantly drinking holes for the first time this year, fuelled by the booming casual dining trend and improving consumer confidence. Research released yesterday by AlixPartners and CGA Peach reveals that a net 1,770 new restaurants opened in the year to 30 [...]
Government action on broadband puts UK ahead of European peers September 21, 2015 THE UK government’s approach to extending superfast broadband access costs less than state sponsored initiatives in other countries. This is part of the reason that the UK will outperform its European peers on telecoms performance for the next five years, and will become one of the best performing countries in the world by 2020, according [...]