Square Mile police station to be transformed into five-star hotel January 30, 2020 The City’s Grade II* listed Wood Street Police Station is set to be transformed into a five-star hotel. The City of London Corporation has sold the building to Magnificent Hotels, after deciding the police station was “surplus to operational requirements”. The police force will be based at the Wood Street station until around December this [...]
Brexit day: what happens on 31 January 2020? January 30, 2020 | City Talk Brexit day on 31 January marks the end of the UK’s membership of the European Union and the start of the “transition period”. After three previous departure dates came and went (20 March 2019, 12 April 2019 and 31 October 2019), it’s the one we all expect to actually happen. The transition – or “implementation” [...]
Non-alcoholic beers protect Fuller’s from Dry January slump January 30, 2020 Pub chain Fuller, Smith and Turner said an increased range of non-alcoholic drinks protected it from the usual January slump in sales, despite an uptick in the number of people going tee-total for the month. Fuller’s today announced that like-for-like sales in managed pubs and hotels were up 4.3 per cent in the six weeks [...]
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review: A design-led and high-performance two-in-one powerhouse January 30, 2020 Since the original Surface Pro launched in 2013, Microsoft’s range of tablets have offered a value proposition most business users have found hard to resist: the form factor of an iPad, but with the functionality of a Windows PC. Some mistakes were made along the way, namely a few tablets running compromised, Frankenstein versions of [...]
Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct resolves chunk of €674m Belgian tax bill January 30, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct has resolved a large chunk of a €674m (£570.2m) tax dispute with the Belgian authorities. The retailer – which recently rebranded as Frasers Group – said €491m of the disputed VAT had been accounted for and authorities in Belgium had withdrawn the claim. Ashley’s company said it would “continue to fully engage [...]
Mike Pompeo: US will put UK at ‘front of the line’ in trade talks January 30, 2020 The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has pledged to put the UK “at the front of the line” in future trade talks, during a talk in London this morning. Speaking at a Policy Exchange event, Pompeo said he wanted to be in the UK on the date that the UK leaves the EU as [...]
I confronted our bureaucratic tax system — and lost January 30, 2020 “Tax doesn’t have to be taxing,” claim the helpful ducks on the HMRC adverts that urge people to file their self-assessment returns by the deadline of midnight tomorrow. As anyone who has been through the rigmarole of painstakingly filling in a return that always results in a higher-than-expected calculation, the reality is somewhat different. Filing [...]
DEBATE: Are technology companies a threat to central banks? January 30, 2020 Are technology companies a threat to central banks? Bhavin Patel, head of fintech research at OMFIF, says YES. Tech companies are rapidly developing solutions to overcome shortfalls in the monetary system and proving flexible in tailoring their services to converge with consumer trends. Wide-scale adoption of privately-issued digital coins is growing more probable, particularly in [...]
Deutsche Bank crashes to massive €5.7bn loss January 30, 2020 Deutsche Bank slipped to a larger than expected loss of €5.7bn (£4.8bn) last year, as the costs of its turnaround drive hit profits. The German banking giant has now posted losses for five consecutive years. Deutsche has struggled with misconduct scandals, failed US growth plans and an abortive merger with rival Commerzbank. Chief executive Christian [...]
H&M appoints new CEO in boardroom reshuffle January 30, 2020 H&M has announced the appointment of a new chief executive following a boardroom reshuffle sparked by the exit of chairman Stefan Persson. Shares jumped more than nine per cent after the Swedish retailer said it has appointed Helena Helmersson as its new chief executive as the company’s current boss steps into the role of chairman. [...]