‘We want to be the regional magic circle firm,’ says Knights CEO January 19, 2021 Regional law firm Knights saw revenues jumped by some £14m in the second half of 2020, up to £46.2m from £31.9m in H1, and the positive year has only fuelled the firm’s ambitions. The promising results were in part delivered in part by the successful remote acquisitions of Shulmans, ASB and Fraser Brown, and the [...]
EY staff told to work 16 hour days, weekends, and berated for getting food poisoning January 19, 2021 It’s all work and no play for EY staff in the Hong Kong office, as employees were pressured to work until 11:30pm each week night and at the weekend during the busiest period. An email from one manager at the Big Four firm in Hong Kong told staff they should be working 16-hour days during [...]
‘Haves’ and ‘have nots’ disparity risks geopolitical instability, warns WEF January 19, 2021 The economic and digital disparities of the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ risks widening social cohesion, and could lead to geopolitical instability, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned. The Covid-19 pandemic has widened long-standing health, economic and digital disparities between individuals, according to the latest WEF global risk report, which could hinder global cooperation [...]
Deutsche Bank, ICAP and two German lawyers sued over tax bill January 19, 2021 Deutsche Bank, TP ICAP and two German lawyers are being sued by M.M.Warburg & Co. in an attempt to recoup a large tax bill it was ordered to pay over controversial Cum-Ex trades. The lawsuit was filed at a court in Hamberg, Bloomberg reported, where private bank M.M.Warburg is based. Last week Warburg said it [...]
Hammerson receives less than half its rent as retailers grapple with Covid January 19, 2021 Hammerson received less than half of the rents due for the first quarter of 2021, as retailers struggled in the face of coronavirus restrictions across the UK and most of Europe. At a group level, 41 per cent of Q1 2021 rent due has been received by Hammerson, with the UK collecting 41 per cent, [...]
Home cooking drives ‘exceptional’ year-end for Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods January 19, 2021 Sales at Premier Foods were up nine per cent in the final quarter of 2020, and 12.5 per cent year-on-year, shrugging off pandemic worries. The business, which owns brands Mr Kipling, Bisto and Oxo, saw branded sales up more than 12 per cent this quarter, and 16 per cent year-on-year, driven in part by lockdown [...]
British Land appoints new chief financial officer from Tesco January 19, 2021 London-based retail landlord British Land has made Bhavesh Mistry its new chief financial officer. Mistry is expected to join British Land no later than 1 August 2021. Until he joins David Walker will continue in his role as interim CFO. The incoming CFO is currently deputy chief financial officer at Tesco, a position has had [...]
Hotel Chocolat celebrates sweet six months despite Covid-19 January 19, 2021 Hotel Chocolat has defied pandemic challenges and boosted its revenue in the 26-week period ending 27 December. Total group revenue for the period increased 11 per cent year-on-year, as the group pivoted to online sales to offset the impact of pandemic restrictions. The end of the year was particularly tasty for the chocolate retailer, with [...]
Scientists warn vaccination rollout will lead to more rule breaking January 19, 2021 People could become less diligent at sticking to coronavirus rules as more of the population is vaccinated, scientists have warned. If people start abandoning the rules early, it could lead to a spike in cases that outweighs the gains made by rolling out the jab, government advisory body SAGE has said. Sky News reported that [...]
Begbies Traynor acquires CVR Global in biggest buy yet January 18, 2021 Insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor has acquired CVR Global in a deal worth £20.8m. The move represents the largest insolvency acquisition Begbies Traynor has made to date, and provides a significant expansion of its scale in London and the South of England. The share price of the corporate restructuring firm jumped 5.5 per cent today following [...]
