Crowdfunding to be put under the microscope by City watchdog August 18, 2013 THE Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the City watchdog, will push to regulate online crowdfunding sites next year amid concerns about customer safeguards in the fast growing sector. Crowdfunding websites allow businesses to tap people for small investments in standalone projects. Investors who use sites regulated by the FCA are protected by a host of regulations [...]
Income squeeze runs on despite boost to growth August 18, 2013 DISPOSABLE incomes for households are still declining, despite recent growth in the economy, and now stand £1 per week lower than they did in July last year. According to Asda’s income tracker, the average household had £160 per week of disposable income last month, in comparison to £161 in July 2012, and £165 at the [...]
Weather hits internet retail as high streets boosted by heat August 18, 2013 ONLINE sales fell two per cent in July, in a reversal of fortunes for internet retailers as shoppers returned to high streets during the heatwave. According to the IMRG Capgemini retail index for July, sales were up by nine per cent in the 12 months to July, but dipped in the month itself, making it [...]
Industry casts doubts over rebalancing August 18, 2013 THE CONFEDERATION of British Industry (CBI) today raised its forecasts for growth, alongside a warning that investment and trade are not picking up quickly enough. The industry body now expects economic growth of 1.2 per cent this year, followed by 2.3 per cent in 2014, but raised concerns about the way in which consumption was [...]
Manufacturers look to export August 18, 2013 RESEARCH released today indicates that the UK’s manufacturers are planning to export to new markets by 2016, and hope to take new products with them. According to manufacturing group EEF and Natwest bank, 71 per cent of firms in the sector expect to innovate, enabling them to export into new emerging markets within the next [...]
Small firms fear staff skills gap August 18, 2013 TWO THIRDS of small and medium sized businesses claim that their staff suffer from a skills shortage, which could damage their growth. Of those who said that their workforce is lacking in skills, 44 per cent think future growth could be affected negatively, 39 per cent believe that they could become less competitive, and 37 [...]
Cyprus bank has a plan to boost UK’s economy August 18, 2013 OPTIMISM among owner-managed businesses is soaring. That’s according to a survey sent over by the Bank of Cyprus UK, British unit of the troubled Eurozone lender. The Capitalist concedes that positive vibes in and around the bank’s activities, including lending to small businesses, are probably higher now than they were during the Bank of Cyprus’s [...]
Jazz at the wharf August 18, 2013 LONDON’S biggest free jazz festival returned to Canary Wharf over the weekend, with revellers treated to three days of music from artists including Soweto Kinch, Cuban violinist Omar Puente and the Carleen Anderson Soul Trio. The festival, which launched in 2007, continues to attract performers and spectators from around the world.
McQueen sales bask in royal dress success August 18, 2013 ALEXANDER McQueen sales reached “unprecedented levels” last year, thanks in part to the Duchess of Cambridge’s iconic wedding dress, which catapulted the brand further into the global spotlight. The fashion house – led by creative director Sarah Burton, who designed the dress worn by the Duchess in April 2011 – reported sales of £52.4m in [...]
Marks & Spencer overhauls its autumn campaign in its latest attempt to boost womenswear range August 18, 2013 MARKS & Spencer has scored a host of British names ranging from Oscar winning actresses to authors and Olympic athletes for its crucial autumn womenswear collection, which could determine Marc Bolland’s future at the chain. The chief executive of M&S has been under increasing pressure this year to stem eight straight quarters of declining sales [...]
