Employers prepare to hand 180,000 workers a pay rise as real living wage increases November 5, 2018 Over a third of FTSE 100 companies are set to hand workers a pay rise this week as the real living wage rises to £9 an hour, an increase of 25p on the hourly rate. At least 180,000 staff and sub-contractors will receive the salary boost, which in London will rise by 35p to £10.55 an hour. The [...]
DEBATE: Will Ikea’s new small store format in urban centres help save the high street? November 5, 2018 Will Ikea’s new small store format in urban centres help save the high street? Adrian Moorhouse, managing director of Lane4, says YES. Ikea’s experiment with smaller city centre stores is a great example of a brand evolving to stay connected to its customers, by accommodating the changing ways in which people both live and shop. As a lot [...]
Our once-in-a-generation opportunity to ensure that the City is fit for the future November 5, 2018 Firms across the Square Mile have had to spend a disproportionate amount of time recently planning for the short term. With less than five months to go before the UK leaves the European Union, it is right that businesses urgently prepare for all possible outcomes, including a possible no-deal scenario. There are many pressing issues [...]
Two stabbed at Sony Music’s Kensington headquarters as police make arrest November 2, 2018 Two people were stabbed at Sony Music’s London headquarters this morning, police said, as one person was arrested. Their injuries are not life-threatening, the Met said, as armed police were called to Derry Street in Kensington at around 11am. Officers and London Ambulance staff are still in attendance. Sony Music's office was filmed being evacuated. [...]
Stephen Haddrill steps down as FRC audit watchdog boss amid probe November 2, 2018 Stephen Haddrill, chief executive of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), is stepping down amid a government probe into the watchdog’s operations. Haddrill has led the FRC, which monitors and regulates the audit sector, since 2009. The news comes in the wake of mounting pressure on the FRC, which has come under examination following several recent scandals within the UK’s [...]
DEBATE: Channel 4 has chosen to relocate its headquarters to Leeds, but is this a sensible decision? November 2, 2018 Channel 4 has chosen to relocate its headquarters to Leeds, but is this a sensible decision? YES, says Olivia Utley, deputy editor at TheArticle. It is common knowledge that British regions are suffering from a brain drain to London. The latest analysis suggests that 30 per cent of all students will head to the capital upon [...]
Criminal investigation launched into claims of antisemitism within Labour Party November 2, 2018 Met Police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations of antisemitic hate crimes within the Labour Party. An internal Labour party document detailing 45 cases of alleged antisemitism was handed to Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick by radio station LBC during a regular phone-in slot in September, the force said. She told the BBC her [...]
We must turn the page on the public perceptions of finance November 1, 2018 A company needs to stand for something more than making money. Sustainability matters more than profit. The mission should be a lasting contribution to society that finds a balance between all stakeholders. Those aren’t the words of a pious left-wing hand-wringer but of John McFarlane, chairman of Barclays, in an anthology of writing published this week [...]
Competition watchdog gives clearance for CME’s purchase of NEX Group October 31, 2018 The UK's competition watchdog has approved the $5.5bn (£4.31bn) acquisition of London-based financial exchange group Nex by US derivatives marketplace CME. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced today it will not refer the merger for an in-depth investigation, after it had launched an inquiry in mid-September. CME's share price edged 0.8 per cent higher following [...]
City delivery driver numbers to be slashed in bid to cut air pollution October 30, 2018 The City's governing body is planning to crackdown on the number of delivery drivers operating in the Square Mile as it moves to reduce air pollution. Developers will work with the transport, delivery and servicing industries to contribute to freight transport consolidation measures, the City of London Corporation announced as it launched its City Plan [...]