Insolvencies rise in February as low confidence begins to bite March 18, 2025 More than 2,000 companies filed for insolvency in February as a growing number of firms struggle to cope with soaring taxes and high inflation. Business confidence has tumbled with companies preparing for the worst before Chancellor Rachel Reeves‘ £40bn tax raid comes into effect next month. But the latest data from the Insolvency Service showed [...]
Global investors flee the US and return to UK stocks March 18, 2025 Global investors have fled US stocks at their fastest rate on record in favour of UK stocks, making their highest allocation to British equities since June 2021. UK equities were the third most overweight sector from global investors this month, beaten out only by utilities and banking stocks, Bank of America’s latest Global Fund Manager [...]
MHA: Watchdog opens probe over audits of folded construction firm March 18, 2025 Accountancy watchdog launched an investigation into MHA for its audit of construction company in administration
Mike Ashley-owned Frasers to cut a third of design and editorial staff March 18, 2025 Mike Ashley-owned Frasers Group may cut nearly a third of staff within its design and editorial teams, according to reports. It entered into a consultation with staff of March 7 as part of the company’s latest restructure, Retail Gazette reported. Sources told the trade publication that the redundancy process will not affect managerial roles and [...]
Adzuna falls into the red amid hiring slump March 18, 2025 Jobs website Adzuna has fallen into the red as its sales were slashed by a third after battling a “turbulent” economy and a fall in hiring activity. The London-headquartered business has reported a pre-tax loss of £276,797 for the 12 months to 30 June, 2024, after it achieved a pre-tax profit of £1.5m in the [...]
Office: Shoe retailer doubles profit to over £100m March 18, 2025 Profit at the group behind shoe retailer Office more than doubled to over £100m as it continued to open new stores and created hundreds of jobs. The business, which also includes the Offspring brand, has posted a pre-tax profit of £102.4m for the 12 months to 30 June, 2024. The future comes after the group [...]
Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire braced for Reeves’ tax hike March 18, 2025 Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s theatre empire has warned it is bracing for the “notable impact” the hike in employer’s National Insurance contributions (NICs) when it comes into force next month. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Budget in October 2024 that NICs would rise by 1.2 per cent from April to 15 per cent in [...]
Trustpilot: Shares spike as review site benefits from snowballing user and business adoption March 18, 2025 Review platform Trustpilot has reported a double-digit increase in revenue and earnings as business adoption and brand awareness “fuel the flywheel”. Its share price rose more than 13 per cent in early trades. The company told markets this morning that revenue rose 19 per cent in the year ended December 31, to $210m (£161m) from [...]
Close Brothers shares plunge as motor finance costs mount March 18, 2025 Banking group Close Brothers plunged to a £104m loss in the first half of 2025 after the firm set aside provisions for the motor finance scandal. The lender recorded a pre-tax loss in the first half of its 2025 financial year, compared to a profit of £88.1m in the same period of 2024 due to [...]
SThree fees crater amid ‘challenging market conditions’ March 18, 2025 City recruiter SThree saw fees drop 15 per cent over the last quarter as the group grappled with “challenging market conditions” within the job-seeking sector. The London-listed firm, a specialist in finding roles for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields, saw declines across every arm and region of its business, it revealed in a quarterly [...]