Royal Mail increases first and second-class stamp prices… by a penny February 19, 2016 Brace yourselves: the Royal Mail has announced an increase to the price of stamps. It's hiking prices by… one penny. That means a first-class stamp will cost 64p from March, while a second class stamp will cost 55p. The price of large letter (that's up to 100g) first and second class stamps will also rise [...]
Credit cards at the ready: UK retail sales jump in January February 19, 2016 The UK's consumers put themselves into a buying frenzy in January, if official retail figures are anything to go by, with sales increasing 5.2 per cent on last year. And it seems Christmas was but a blip on consumers' radars: the quantity bought in the retail industry increased 2.3 per cent compared with December – [...]
James Bond’s one-of-a-kind Aston Martin DB10 car from the Spectre movie sells at auction for £2.4m February 19, 2016 There's no easy way to say this – but the chances of you ever owning James Bond's Aston Martin have just become considerably slimmer, after his one-of-a-kind DB10 was sold at auction for a cool £2.4m. The car, which was sold as part of the James Bond Spectre: The Auction event at Christie's, had been expected [...]
Scotch whisky adds £5bn to the economy – as nine new distilleries open in Scotland February 19, 2016 Scotch whisky added £5bn to the UK economy in 2014, new research has suggested – with £3.3bn of "direct impact". We'll drink to that… The report, by the Scotch Whisky Association, found whisky creates 40,000 jobs, and supports salaries of over £1.4bn for UK workers. The industry directly employs almost 11,000 workers, it said, with a total [...]
UK house prices: Sorry, but right now the UK can’t meet its target of building 240,000 homes a year, says House of Lords National Policy for the Built Environment Committee February 19, 2016 The UK won't hit the government's 240,000-a-year housebuilding target by relying on the private sector, according to a new report – which also warned so-called starter homes shouldn't be classed as affordable housing. The report, by the House of Lords' National Policy for the Built Environment committee, said the government must give local authorities and housing [...]
What big tobacco needs to know about the UK’s e-cigarette smokers February 18, 2016 We all know that as the number of smokers falls, big tobacco is scrambling to get into the e-cigarette market. But figures from the Office for National Statistics, published this morning, showed while vapers are a growing community, their loyalty is questionable… Here's what big tobacco needs to know. 1. Traditional smoking is A Thing [...]
OECD cuts UK growth forecast to 2.1 per cent as it warns “urgent” policy changes are needed to increase global growth February 18, 2016 One of the world's most influential economic think tanks has slashed the UK's growth by 0.3 percentage points, as it warned an "urgent" change to are needed from policymakers to push up global growth. The organisation said it expected UK growth to reach 2.1 per cent this year, compared with 2.4 per cent it previously expected, [...]
Which? survey shows Arriva, Thameslink, Great Northern, First Great Western and Southern are among the UK’s most delayed train services February 18, 2016 If you're reading this while swaying on one of the capital's much-maligned commuter train services, take heed: new research has found commuters suffer the UK's worst train services – and Londoners are among the worst hit. The research, by Which?, found a third of commuters experienced delays on their last journey – with Arriva Trains Wales, [...]
Oil price rises again as Brent crude climbs – but Tullow Oil share price is hit February 18, 2016 Oil prices climbed again in early trading today, after Iran "welcomed" (but made no commitments to) a deal between Russia and Saudi Arabia to keep a lid on production. Brent crude climbed to $34.44 per barrel today, while WTI crude, the US benchmark, rose to $31.14. That puts Brent crude just shy of 25 per [...]
Vodafone launches £2.9bn convertible bond issue February 18, 2016 Fresh from its merger with Dutch telecoms giant Liberty, Vodafone has unveiled plans to raise £2.9bn through mandatory convertible bonds. In a statement this morning, the company said it will issue its bonds in two tranches – one with a maturity of 18 months, another with a three-year maturity. Their returns are expected to be between 1.2 [...]
