Rapid boost for UK builders as sector heats up November 4, 2013 UK CONSTRUCTION firms have continued their upward climb during October, posting the strongest one-month improvement to activity since before the financial crisis. According to Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector, construction is expanding at the fastest rate since September 2007. The headline figure of the index is 59.4, well above the neutral 50 [...]
Online retail takes up growing share of sales before Christmas November 4, 2013 RETAILERS saw a boost ahead of Christmas during October, with sales up 2.6 per cent in comparison to the same month last year according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). However, the survey conducted with KPMG suggests the UK’s high streets may not be benefiting as much from the increase. On a like-for-like basis, sales [...]
Productivity lifted by UK’s migrant staff November 4, 2013 HIRING migrant workers has boosted productivity in the UK according to research published today, which also showed that British-born employees now appreciate the need for skilled migration. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) said that hiring workers from outside the UK has enabled firms to fill vacancies in highly-skilled or specialised roles. [...]
Jobs site sees vacancies shoot to highest level since financial crisis November 4, 2013 JOB NUMBERS in the UK have hit a five-year high this autumn, a top recruitment firm will say today. Reed’s website in October showed more than 165,000 live job opportunities, the highest figure since September 2008. And Reed’s monthly index of health in the jobs market, which began in December 2009, shows increased monthly and [...]
Visa records meagre rise in card spending over year to October November 4, 2013 BRITISH households spent 1.6 per cent less in October than they did in September, Visa Europe said today. Visa’s UK expenditure index, which uses data from its millions of credit and debit cards, found that year-on-year spending increased by a modest 0.3 per cent. Over the quarter to October, spending rose by 0.7 per cent. [...]
Bottom Line: Cuddly airline doing more to entice flyers November 4, 2013 MICHAEL O’Leary’s new, customer-friendly persona was out in force yesterday when he was asked about his response to his rivals’ ticket prices. “I don’t give a toss… in a warm and cuddly sort of way,” he told reporters. And when asked about whether Ryanair’s profit warning spelled the end of the no-frills experience, he pondered: [...]
Ryanair slumps as it warns of a fall in earnings November 4, 2013 SHARES in Ryanair took a 12.6 per cent dive yesterday after the low-cost airline cut its full-year profit forecast for the second time in as many months. Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said its move to lower air fares across its routes had contributed to the gloomy profit outlook, but said he was unsure of the [...]
Punch Taverns sets the date for its third restructuring proposal November 4, 2013 PUNCH Taverns said yesterday that it will announce a fresh plan next month to restructure its £2.4bn debt pile after lenders rejected two earlier proposals put forward by the pub group’s board. Punch, which has over 4,000 pubs in the UK, has already warned that it could be unable to continue trading unless a deal [...]
Google delays building of new Kings Cross headquarters to review its plans November 4, 2013 GOOGLE is to delay work on its new £650m headquarters in King’s Cross after deciding to revisit plans for the site. Proposals for the 950,000 square feet development, which will house Google’s 5,000 staff, were given the go-ahead by Camden Council planners in September. However, the internet giant told staff working on the project yesterday [...]
Sky high costs expected as key football bid due November 4, 2013 EUROPEAN Champions League television rights could be a case of winner-takes-all between rival bidders BT, Sky and ITV, according to analysts. Bids for the prized football broadcast rights from 2015-18 are due to be filed today, and the bidding could be the most competitive, and expensive, ever. “We believe Sky could go for complete exclusivity, [...]