UK confidence grows despite pay pressures October 20, 2013 CONFIDENCE in the British economy is still on the rise despite the ongoing squeeze on pay, according to two surveys of thousands of UK consumers. Both Lloyds’ and Deloitte’s most recent analyses of consumer confidence found the strongest sentiment since their surveys began, in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Both reports demonstrate growing confidence in the [...]
Retailers point to poor footfall despite strength of sales figures October 20, 2013 RETAILERS recorded a decline in footfall this September, despite official statistics showing the strongest rise in sales for five years during the same month. According to figures released today by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard, footfall was 2.4 per cent lower last month than in September last year, with every region of the [...]
Construction sector set for renewed boom October 20, 2013 BRITAIN’S construction output could grow by as much as one-fifth over the next four years, estimates from the Construction Products Association (CPA) indicated today. The group’s economists expect the £111bn per year sector to grow by 19 per cent by 2017, upgrading their forecasts as the UK’s housing market picks up. In 2014 it expects [...]
Spirit looking at all options for its £700m debt October 20, 2013 SPIRIT Pub Company, the firm behind brands such as Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Fayre & Square, is reported to be seeking a deal with its lenders over its £700m debt. Repayments on the pub chain’s debt mountain are due to begin next year, with almost £19m due by the end of August. However, [...]
Grangemouth owners to decide whether to reopen the refinery October 20, 2013 THE OWNER of the Grangemouth refinery insisted yesterday that it can not restart the plant unless union members agree not to strike for the rest of the year. Ineos is due to meet with Unite today in a crunch meeting over the loss-making refinery’s future, insisting that workers sign up to pension changes, pay cuts [...]
Tesco ends promotions on salad after study into wasted produce October 20, 2013 TESCO has called an end to promotions on certain fresh food products in stores after conducting a study into food waste across its UK operations. Britain’s biggest supermarket said it will stop multi-buy offers on large bags of salad to stop encouraging people to buy large amounts that then go to waste. Commercial director Matt [...]
Tech companies push ahead in UK job creation October 20, 2013 UK TECHNOLOGY companies have outpaced the rest of the private sector as a whole in terms of job creation for the past 10 years, according to a report out today from KPMG and Markit. The Tech Monitor UK report reveals that the number of jobs in the technology sector grew by 4.3 per cent in [...]
Jaguar Land Rover hiring 1,000 Chinese workers for local factory October 20, 2013 JAGUAR Land Rover is hiring 1,000 local workers for its £1bn joint venture in China after training the first group in Merseyside. Fifty Chinese recruits have been working at the car manufacturer’s Halewood plant and are set to return to China at the end of the month to pass on the skills they have learned. [...]
Fitness First picks the City for first foray back into openings October 20, 2013 GYM CHAIN Fitness First has chosen the city of London as the location for its first new UK site since it completed its painful restructuring last year. The company, which had to offload 64 clubs as part of a company voluntary arrangement to help save the business, will open the club in Bishopsgate next spring, [...]
Cost of Berlin’s new airport soaring after lengthy delays October 20, 2013 BERLIN’S long-delayed new international airport, which is still without an opening date, will cost more than expected, a member of its supervisory board, Rainer Bretschneider, said yesterday. Noise insulation and the large terminal building were driving costs beyond the expected €4.3bn, Bretschneider told German broadcaster ZDF, and additional levies were payable for every month the [...]
