American Apparel fires founder Dov Charney June 19, 2014 American Apparel founder Dov Charney was fired yesterday from his position as chairman and suspended from his roles as president and chief executive of the fashion firm following repeated misconduct allegations. The Los Angeles-based fashion chain, known for its popular clothing and risque advertising, took the action following years of allegations of sexual misconduct against Charney, [...]
Sheffield home to Cable’s new business bank December 1, 2013 THE NEW British Business Bank is to be set up in Sheffield, according to a government announcement today, as business secretary Vince Cable pledges another £250m for the project. The increase in funding means that the state-backed bank, which is meant to help small businesses access finance, will begin with £1.25bn. Spokespeople from the Department [...]
Business bosses call for end to dithering on new runway plan November 19, 2013 DISGRUNTLED bosses have urged politicians to end their prolonged “dithering” on expanding Britain’s airports or face losing business to countries willing to allow more runways. More than a hundred corporate heads and business groups have signed the campaign to “Let Britain Fly”, which is backed by London First, the British Chambers of Commerce and the [...]
Higher wage bill would hit small business September 22, 2013 NEARLY half of small firms already paying staff at or above the amount advocated by the living wage campaign, according to new research. A survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) suggests that 49 per cent of firms already pay their staff at or above the amount that the campaign is pushing for, but [...]
Labour makes new push for higher wages November 4, 2013 LABOUR leader Ed Miliband has pledged to offer tax breaks of up to £1,000 per worker for companies that move low-paid staff onto the living wage. Miliband said the scheme would cut poverty while saving money on benefit payments – but the Conservatives and some business groups said the plan was impractical. More than 400 [...]
Small firms look to start hiring as tax cut nears September 16, 2013 MORE small companies intend to take on additional staff in the third quarter than at any time in the last three years, according to new research released today. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) reveals that 15 per cent have increased staff numbers in this quarter, and have positive intentions for the near future. In [...]
Small firms pay £500m a year tax admin bill September 29, 2013 BRITAIN’S complex and arduous tax system costs the UK’s small businesses £500m per year to deal with, according to a report out today from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). Filling out forms and calculating tax bills takes bosses an average of 12 days per year, the group estimates, time that could better be taken [...]
London councils lead the table for parking fines August 30, 2013 Total parking fines have now risen to £884m in 2011, up nearly 10 per cent from total council income from these fines in 2008. Data obtained by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) from a Freedom of Information (FOI) requests shows that East Yorkshire received the least income from motorist fines. Yet London and Thames [...]
Education fails to prepare Brits for jobs market October 8, 2013 PUPILS in England are among the least well prepared in the developed world for the reality of modern labour markets, according to a shocking report released yesterday. Research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals that England is the only advanced economy in which the youngest generation leaving education is less literate [...]
Surprise weakness in June lending despite growth July 29, 2013 LENDING figures for June dipped below expectations yesterday, with a smaller rise in consumer credit than expected, despite the fledgling recovery indicated by recent growth. The Bank of England recorded a £489m increase in consumer credit, compared to £781m of additional lending in May. The average monthly rise in 2013 has been around £700m, suggesting [...]