Oxford Street regeneration a complex undertaking for City Hall Retail The centrepiece of shopping in the capital is set for a major makeover, after London mayor Sadiq Khan set out his long-mooted plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street on Wednesday. The plan will transform the makeup of central London and bring huge opportunities for retailers, but the proposal – particularly its computer-generated elements – leave plenty [...]
London mayor gives green light for pedestrianised Oxford Street Retail Sadiq Khan has signed off proposals to pedestrianise Oxford Street, ordering London’s transport authority to begin plans to remove traffic in a major shake-up the nation’s most popular shopping area. The London Mayor gave his approval to the plans on Thursday, claiming the “bold” proposal will transform the high street into a “world-leading” shopping and [...]
Labour’s employment legislation and national insurance blamed for rising joblessness Economics National insurance hikes and the employment rights act mean businesses are being forced to cut back on hiring, business leaders and analysts have said. The labour market continued to loosen at the end of last year, according to new Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, with unemployment climbing to 5.2 per cent between October and [...]
Oxford Street pedestrianisation boosts sales, survey finds October 6, 2025 The pedestrianisation of Oxford Street led to higher sales at the majority of stores on the busy high street, a new survey has found, with business chiefs praising efforts to make traffic-free days more frequent. Oxford Street was closed to traffic for eight hours on Sunday 21st September in a pilot test for further plans [...]
London tube staff to strike in September in ‘extremely concerning’ move August 21, 2025 London tube staff are set to strike over pay in early September in what industry chiefs have labelled a “damaging scenario” for sluggish growth across the capital. The rail union RMT said on Thursday that rolling strike action would begin on Friday 5 September while Docklands Light Railway staff will strike from 8 September over [...]
UK firms pin hopes on US trade growth despite tariffs August 21, 2025 UK exporters to the US believe their sales will grow more than firms selling goods and services to other markets, a new survey has found, boosting hopes that trade will rebound after the initial shock of tariffs. Research by YouGov has suggested that 45 per cent of companies selling products to the US are hopeful [...]
Wealth tax would be ‘own goal’, London bosses warns July 10, 2025 The introduction of a wealth tax on Brits would yield less revenue for the government and drive investors overseas, bosses across London have warned. Keir Starmer this week refused to answer questions on whether the government was considering a wealth tax, which was mooted by former Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock last weekend. But business [...]
London firms struggling to recruit staff as people want to WFH March 20, 2025 Firms in London are struggling to recruit staff as over four in five businesses have vacancies, according to a new survey of 1,000 companies. Mayor Sadiq Khan recently announced plans to boost economic growth in the capital, but the latest survey by BusinessLDN suggests he may have a mountain to climb before he achieves his [...]
Oxford Street: Mayor wants ideas on pedestrianising iconic shopping area February 28, 2025 Sadiq Khan is asking Londoners for their ideas on pedestrianising Oxford Street in a bid to transform the iconic shopping district into a “world-class, accessible, clean, avenue”. The Mayor today launched a public consultation on the proposed transformation of the central London road which will run until 2 May 2025. Sir Sadiq is proposing to [...]
Property experts warn ‘more needs to be done’ on £350m housing funding February 12, 2025 A £350m investment into affordable and social housing by the government has been welcomed but property experts warn “more needs to be done”. Housing secretary Angela Rayner has insisted the government “can’t afford not to” hit its 1.5m housebuilding targets, as officials unveiled an extra £300m in funding for the affordable homes programme, which they [...]