Mario Draghi has urged EU governments to seize the opportunity from lower interest rates to boost productivity November 30, 2016 Mario Draghi has called on policymakers to “seize” the “window of opportunity” provided by accommodative monetary policy to boost productivity growth in the face of an ageing population. The European Central Bank president has become the latest central banker to warn that slowing productivity threatens global growth, and to urge governments to address the productivity stagnation [...]
Greene King pubs report challenges are ahead despite revenue bubbling up to record levels November 30, 2016 Record revenue was reported in Greene King's interim results, but shares fell in morning trading and analysts warn of a hangover. The figures Adjusted profits before tax rose 14.6 per cent to £139m, and adjusted earnings per share were up 4.3 per cent to 36p for the pub company. Like-for-like sales increased 1.3 per cent, which was ahead of the [...]
Downloads are the new black: You can now Netflix and chill offline November 30, 2016 Stranger Things have happened. But it’s still worth noting that Netflix has today announced a new download service. Subscribers can now download their favourite series and films at no extra cost and watch them offline. Read more: Netflix stellar earnings fuelled by success of Stranger Things “While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we’ve [...]
One of the UK’s largest breweries just crowdfunded £2.5m, proving the people want craft beer November 30, 2016 The UK's second largest craft brewery, Innis & Gunn, just doubled its crowdfunding target, allowing it to accelerate growth and open its first bar-restaurant in England a year ahead of schedule. The Scottish brewery raised nearly £2.5m on the investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube in a campaign launched on 1 November. The company had sold 4.79 per cent of its share capital to 2,012 investors at the [...]
Healthcare trust to float on Friday despite falling short of £200m target November 30, 2016 Bellevue Asset Management is set to float a new investment trust on the London Stock Exchange on Friday. BB Healthcare Trust missed its target of £200m, but will list on the main market this week after raising £150m. Paul Major, who will co-manage the fund with Dr Daniel Koller, played down the £200m target, saying the minimum [...]
The Lib Dems are predicting a narrow win over Zac Goldsmith in Richmond Park tomorrow November 30, 2016 The Lib Dems think they will snatch a narrow win in Richmond Park tomorrow and dethrone the former Tory MP Zac Goldsmith. Polls open in South West London tomorrow, and Goldsmith had been regarded as favourite, but bookmakers are also cutting the odds on victory for Tim Farron's party. And internal modelling by the Lib Dems is now predicting [...]
UK construction industry fears hard Brexit will turn skills gap into a gulf November 30, 2016 Construction could be buffeted big-time if there's a "hard Brexit" and lose more than 200,000 workers. According to a report by design and consultancy firm Arcadis, the industry could suffer from a "skills gulf" once the UK leaves the European Union and the loss of nearly 215,000 workers from house building and infrastructure if there's [...]
Virgin Media catches up to rivals with its first 4K TV set-top box November 30, 2016 After much teasing and trailing, Virgin Media has finally launched its first ultra HD 4K TV set-top box. Virgin – whose owner Liberty gave the company its backing post-Brexit vote – is joining the likes of rivals Sky and BT in pushing 4K content to the masses, offering four times the resolution of high definition broadcasts. The TV [...]
Air France workers guilty of “organised violence” after shirt-ripping episode last year November 30, 2016 Three former Air France employees have been found guilty of ripping the shirts from the backs of two executives fleeing a meeting about job cuts. A French court gave them suspended sentences of three to four months for "organised violence", while two others were found not guilty. Another 10 were given 500 euros (£425) fines for [...]
Why Biffa’s chief executive refused to scrap IPO plans despite “fairly tortuous process” November 30, 2016 The chief executive of Biffa has described taking the waste management company public this year as a “fairly tortuous process”. Biffa pushed ahead with its initial public offering (IPO) in October, but was forced to reduce its share price offer from 220p to 180p, meaning a total raise of £210m, down from £270m. Other companies, [...]