Exclusive: Energy crunch to squeeze UK industry February 14, 2022 UK manufacturing is set to swallow a £20bn-plus bill from soaring energy costs this year, heaping further pressure on Britain’s weakening economic recovery, reveals exclusive research shared with City A.M. Surging oil and gas prices will pile an extra £8.7bn on to factories’ energy costs in 2022, crimping their already squeezed margins. Swelling energy bills [...]
Workers flood back to the office after end of Plan B curbs February 14, 2022 Workers are flooding back to the office after the government scrapped Plan B curbs last month, fresh figures published today reveal. The number of Brits shifting from their bedroom and kitchen desks and heading back to their firm’s office shot up 50 per cent in the final week of January, according to office provider IWG. [...]
Stall in tax-free childcare spells danger for closing gender pay gap February 14, 2022 Government spend on Tax-Free Childcare rose by just two per cent to £240.5m in the past year, despite enhanced take-up by parents, and rocketing prices further straining the return to the office. There are fears that the sharp slowdown in government spending in this area could make childcare unaffordable for some parents, especially as the [...]
Labour squeeze and national insurance hike to throttle UK SMEs’ growth plans February 14, 2022 A tight labour squeeze and soaring hiring costs are throttling small and medium-sized British firms’ recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, reveals a fresh survey published yesterday. British businesses are intending on launching a hiring spree this year to boost growth and restore revenues to pre-pandemic levels, but fear a lack of talent could throw their [...]
Chefs, waiters and bar staff benefit from pay bump as hospitality sector shows signs of life after Covid-19 February 14, 2022 Chefs, bar staff and waiters are being rewarded with a pay bump in a sign Britain’s hospitality industry is recovering from a bruising couple of years, reveals new research published today. Wages at roles in pubs, bars and restaurants have climbed 12 per cent, according to research by Caterer.com. Cooks are benefitting from the greatest [...]
International travel will never be fully replaced by Zoom meetings for business February 14, 2022 As the worst of the Omicron wave subsides, travel is starting up once more, with countries dropping many of the most stringest restrictions. Many of us associate this with holidays and family reuniones, but it is also an important vector for business. This is especially true for an open economy like the UK’s which, renowned [...]
When in Rome (or Paris), while in your bedroom: the metaverse of the high street February 14, 2022 When Topshop announced they were pulling out of their flagship Oxford street shop last year, the fatalistic chatter about the end of the high street gathered colossal momentum. The store was eventually snapped up by Ikea, for £378m, but another hole was left in its wake, with House of Fraser closing down too. Despite this, [...]
One-in-four UK workers plan a ‘hybrid holiday’ this year, to make the most of remote working February 14, 2022 More than a quarter of UK workers are planning to take a remote working holiday this year, according to a poll of 2,000 office workers. Workers from across the UK said they plan to take advantage of their employer’s work-from-home policy by going on a ‘hybrid working holiday’ – with a view to going abroad [...]
Stationery start up Papier raises $50m to fuel global expansion February 14, 2022 London-based stationery startup Papier has secured a $50m funding round as it looks to fuel a global expansion plan, the firm announced today.
March revealed as best month to sell property due to annual surge in buyer interest February 14, 2022 March is the best month of the year to sell UK homes due to an annual surge in buyer interest and fierce compeition for properties, new data has revealed.
