UK house prices: London Help to Buy is a thing now – but experts warn it could inflate risks (and only help high earners in the first place) February 1, 2016 Callooh callay, London's own Help to Buy scheme has launched this morning, the government's scheme to give first-time buyers a lift onto the housing ladder. The new scheme effectively doubles the help being given out previously, as the government makes loans of up to 40 per cent available for first and second-time buyers on new [...]
Conviviality Retail’s share price climbs as it reveals boost to sales from Matthew Clark takeover as champagne and prosecco sales leap February 1, 2016 A strong Christmas has powered drinks company Conviviality Retail over the first half, with the Bargain Booze and Threshers group increasing its interim dividend. The figures The business, which completed its acquisition of wholesaler Matthew Clark in October, said group revenues jumped 38 per cent to £252m for the 27 weeks to 1 November. EBITDA was up 43 [...]
BT’s share price rises as it reveals new structure after EE acquisition – and the mobile brand is staying (for consumers at least) – as revenues reach seven-year high February 1, 2016 BT has unveiled sweeping changes to its structure, following the completion of its £12.5bn takeover of EE last week, as the business reports its best revenues in more than seven years. Although some had predicted the demise of the EE brand, the mobile firm will continue in its current form as far as "the consumer market [...]
Now you can use taxi app Gett as a courier service throughout London February 1, 2016 First they brought us champagne, then they brought us wine. Now taxi app firm Gett is branching into courier services, offering customers an on-demand way of picking up and delivering parcels in and around central London. Launching today (1 February), Gett Courier will collect a parcel within 20 minutes, and deliver it within an hour as long as [...]
From Tesco and the death of the Defender to MBAs and Donald Trump: Here’s what got us talking this week January 29, 2016 HSBC celebrated the first pay day since Christmas by going offline (again). We learned that there are just 12 special words in every job interview. And everyone who wasn't 29 years old questioned this study. Here's what got us talking 1) You're not imagining it Yes, it's true: those commuting into London really do have it the [...]
The Land Rover Defender is gone, but the next great British success story is just waiting to emerge January 29, 2016 The Land Rover Defender is a great example of UK manufacturing’s worldwide appeal. From the drawing table to the production line, UK manufacturers have a reputation for excellence, high standards, and iconic designs. British manufacturing is not playing not to lose; it is playing to win. The UK’s financial and legal services industries may contribute [...]
Train delays and commuter frustration: How train operators can get customer service back on track January 29, 2016 At a time when rail delays, disruptions and the rising cost of travel are rarely out of the press, pressure is understandably mounting on rail operators to improve the quality of service for commuters. This is no truer than in the capital, with three train firms serving London named amongst the worst in Britain for customer satisfaction earlier [...]
Tesco is ending its 24-hour opening hours at 76 stores to make supermarket more efficient January 29, 2016 Tesco is ending its 24-hour opening hours at 76 stores across the UK as the company looks to be more "responsive to the way customers want to shop". Affected stores will shut between midnight and 6am, with the change being rolled out between 14 March and 11 April 2016. The supermarket, which is part-way through a turnaround plan under chief executive [...]
HSBC down: Bank suffers online banking outage (again) after group targeted by cyber attackers January 29, 2016 Well this is embarrassing. HSBC's online banking services are suffering from yet another outage – and it looks like it's down to a cyber attack on the bank. Customers complained this morning that they could not access their accounts online, with many complaining that the outage came just as their first pay day since Christmas arrived. [...]
London weather: Uh-oh – Storm Gertrude is heading for the capital and south east, as Met Office warns of heavy rain January 29, 2016 Storm Gertrude has already made her presence known in northern parts of the country, and the Met Office has warned she'll be moving to London and the South East this evening. The UK's main weather forecaster has updated its alerts from yesterday to include a yellow warning for the capital, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire. Although the [...]
