London law firms hired record number of partners in 2021 Law Propelled by record revenue and profits, commercial law firms made 26 per cent more partner hires in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to a new report. Following vaccine rollouts the economy began to recover from the pandemic outbreak in 2020, leading to a boom in dealmaking which has driven demand for law firms [...]
Annual spending on ethical products soars past £100bn for first time Ethical Shopping British shoppers spent more than £100bn on ethical products and investments last year, as the twin crises of the pandemic and climate change prompted significant lifestyle changes. Plant-based food, and products, and secondhand clothes, furniture and even cars saw demand surge in the last year with ethical spending rising to £122bn in 2020 – up [...]
Credit Suisse investigation reveals chairman broke Covid rules twice Credit Suisse António Horta-Osório is under investigation by Credit Suisse after reportedly breaking Covid quarantine rules for the second time, in order to watch a Wimbledon tennis match in the summer. Horta-Osorio, who joined Credit Suisse from Lloyds in April, has previously called the scandals faced by Credit Suisse, including the $5.4bn loss from the collapse of [...]
London Stock Exchange raises nearly £17bn in highest IPO funding since 2007 December 29, 2021 London Stock Exchange (LSE) companies have raised the most IPO funding in one year than in the last 14 years. Combined the 122 companies listed on the LSE raised over £16.8bn in 2021 – beating competition from the top exchange in Europe and raising the most equity outside of the US and China. The LSE’s [...]
PwC boss warns ‘negativity’ about audit industry will put off new recruits December 29, 2021 The UK head of PwC has warned that continued criticism by politicians and industry watchdogs will damage the audit sector, according to reports. Kevin Ellis, UK chair and senior partner at PwC, said the reputational harm would make it harder to attract and retain auditors, making it more likely for the audit giant to look [...]
Waitrose makes headway into home delivery through Mindful Chef partnership December 29, 2021 Supermarket Waitrose has partnered up with Mindful Chef, a British company that delivers recipes and ingredients to people’s homes, in a bid to capitalise on the trend propelled during the pandemic. The news comes as the online food delivery industry has become increasingly popular during the pandemic, and just weeks after Asda announced its own [...]
Deloitte faces lawsuit by former employee over harassment claims December 29, 2021 An ex-Deloitte female has sued the Big Four firm over allegations that her former employer did not protect her from harassment perpetrated by a male partner and its investigation into the incident was corrupt, according to reports. In court documents seen by the Financial Times, which first reported the news, Katrina Jones called the behaviour [...]
Private equity groups spend $42bn acquiring their own companies to raise cash December 24, 2021 The number of deals where private equity groups sold companies to their own funds – to bring about generous payouts for executives – surged this year and were worth $42bn, according to reports. Known as ‘continuation fund’ sales, the frequency of such deals marked a sharp rise of 55 per cent compared to 2020, according [...]
Former Vogue editor Grace Mirabella dies aged 91 December 24, 2021 Grace Mirabella, the former editor-in-chief of American Vogue for 17 years, has passed away at the age of 91. Mirabella joined Vogue in 1951 as a merchandising assistant and joined its editorial team three years later. Born to parents of Italian descent, she once said her nothing about her upbringing prepared her for her long-standing [...]
Stella McCartney pay rose to £2.7m while firm took furlough cash December 24, 2021 Designer Stella McCartney enjoyed a pay rise to £2.7m last year, while her business claimed £850,000 in government support during the pandemic, according to reports. The news comes amid reports that meanwhile cosmetics company Charlotte Tilbury has returned furlough payments of £3.2m it took during the pandemic to the government, after its makeup sales withstood the [...]
