London boroughs prepare for £9.5bn business rates hike November 1, 2016 Business rates across all the boroughs of London will rise by £9.53bn over the next five years, according to new analysis. The government has re-evaluated the business rates payable for the first time in seven years, and the new tax rate will come into effect in April next year. Research by business rates specialists CVS [...]
Amazon has just launched its Black Friday deals store November 1, 2016 Black Friday: it's either a retail Valhalla or your worst nightmare – either way, it's increasingly becoming A Thing in the UK. And now Amazon has launched a kind of pre-Black Friday Black Friday store. Welcome to retail in 2016. The Countdown to Black Friday store is currently only for US customers, and features almost [...]
Airbnb renting gives you double the rental income of a long-term let November 1, 2016 The rental rate for staying in an Airbnb home is double that of a long-term rate, providing a potentially lucrative alternative for landlords. According to research by data company Propcision, renting out an Airbnb flat or house in Newham, Merton, Southwark or Camden offers the best return as compared to long-term renting. The worst locations for [...]
Southern Rail owner Govia Thameslink is the only division of Go-Ahead not to be growing revenues November 1, 2016 Government payments to the owner of Southern Rail have been slashed due to the network's under-performance in the wake of its ongoing battle with unions over the role of guards on its trains. Govia Thameslink passenger revenue fell three per cent in the three months to the end of September and the number of passenger journeys fell by 0.5 per cent. [...]
Commuter group sets out legal grounds for judicial review against DfT November 1, 2016 Pressure group the Association of British Commuters (ABC) has sent a letter before action to transport secretary Chris Grayling. That's ahead of bringing a judicial review of the Department for Transport (DfT) for its handling of the Southern Rail franchise. The letter sets out the legal grounds on which the group is applying for permission to [...]
Black Friday 2016 UK: Here are eight shopping tips and tricks for how to make the most the retail extravaganza, according to the experts November 1, 2016 The retail bonanza-slash-bunfight known as Black Friday is nearly upon us – just under a month (25 November). This year sales "experts" are falling over themselves to give bargain hunters top tips to get the best deals without ending up in hospital/prison/debt. That might sound extreme, but after last year's discount day turned violent, it might be [...]
Black Friday 2016 history: What is it, when did it come to the UK and where will it hit next? November 1, 2016 Black Friday fever is sweeping the nation, with many retailers saying they will get some of their best sales yet. But where did the bumper discount day come from and where will it hit next? Here's a short history. Where did Black Friday come from? Black Friday – like Halloween, McDonalds and theme parks – [...]
Franchise Brands just splashed out £1m on a dog sitting business November 1, 2016 Looking after man's best friend is far more lucrative than you might think. In fact, it's a near-million pound business in the UK… Barking Mad, a company operating 71 dog-sitting franchises across the UK, has been snaffled up by Aim-quoted Franchise Brands in a deal that values the company at £900,000. Read more: Meet the companies preparing to [...]
Reuters to cut 2,000 jobs in financial risk and technology operations November 1, 2016 Thomson Reuters said it would cut around 2,000 jobs worldwide as part of a restructure across the business. The cuts would mainly affect the financial risk and technology and operations part of the business, it said. There will be no decline in headcount in the Reuters newsroom, a memo to employees stressed. In results released [...]
Kim Jong-un slashes beer prices to get rid of stock November 1, 2016 North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has cut the price of beer to get rid of excess ale that was bought for a festival in the summer. Demand has soared since Ryongsong Beer’s price was cut in half from 3,000 North Korean won to 1,500, and Taedong River Beer was reduced from KPW 6,000 to 5,000. It is thought that [...]