Rishi Sunak must take his time balancing the books or risk punishing those hardest hit by Covid March 3, 2021 Timing is everything. The Chancellor, as he weighs up his options to make some initial headway in his avowed “sacred duty” to balance the books, knows this only too well. His income support schemes are being closely managed to match the extension and easing of pandemic restrictions on the economy. While this is significant, so [...]
Recruiter Page Group profit slumps as hiring comes to a standstill March 3, 2021 Recruitment firm Page Group has reported an almost 90 per cent drop in full-year profits after the pandemic prompted hiring freezes. Page Group, which operates in 36 countries, reported pretax profits for the year ended 31 December 2020 of £15.5m, down from £144.2m the previous year. Revenue in its EMEA business, which brings in more [...]
Insurer Beazley appoints new CEO as Horton leaves for QBE March 3, 2021 Beazley has today announced that its CEO Andrew Horton will leave the company to take over at QBE Insurance Group in Australia. Adrian Cox has been appointed as his replacement, having worked under Beazley for 20 years. He has over 25 years of industry experience, most recently as the firm’s Chief Underwriting Officer. “I am [...]
Charm offensive: Hiscox prepares to woo customers following pandemic ‘brand damage’ March 3, 2021 Insurance giant intends to build back its reputation “one policy at a time”, after the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent court case left the business facing “brand damage”. Earlier this year Hiscox came under fire after customers complained they were not being granted payouts on claims made on their business interruption insurance. In a landmark case [...]
Daily Mail owner acquires New Scientist magazine for £70m March 3, 2021 The Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) has announced that its consumer media business has acquired New Scientist for £70m. A consortium of individual investors led by Sir Bernard Gray are set to sell the world’s leading science magazine. Lord Rothermere, charmain of DMGT, said: “New Scientist is a world-renowned publication loved by its readers, [...]
US ‘on track’ to vaccinate every adult by May, says Biden March 3, 2021 US President Joe Biden has said the US will have enough Covid vaccines for all adults by the end of May, but admitted the country is unlikely to get back to normal until next year. “We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May,” Biden [...]
Budget 2021: The political consensus on low taxes could be completely wrong March 3, 2021 In the run up to most Budgets there is almost always one key question shaping debate: should the screws be tightened or the floodgates opened? This time round, a near unanimous consensus has arisen. Taxes should not go up, for fear of jeopardising the recovery. Even the Leader of the Labour Party has signed up to [...]
Pandemic binge-watching drives UK entertainment spend to record high March 3, 2021 UK spending on films, music and gaming increased to a record high last year, driven by increased demand for streaming during Covid-19 lockdowns. Retail entertainment spend increased 18 per cent to a record £9.3bn in 2020, marking the eight successive year of growth in the sector and the fastest growth rate ever recorded. The final [...]
Furlough scheme extended to September in Rishi Sunak’s Budget March 2, 2021 The UK’s furlough scheme will be extended until September in tomorrow’s Budget, ensuring the government will pay millions of people’s wages past when Covid restrictions are set to end. The chancellor said tonight that it was “only right” that the government continued to help businesses and pay workers’ wages as the UK looks to lift [...]
Brand Budget 2021: How Chancellor Rishi Sunak went loco for logos March 2, 2021 The hottest promotional video of this week came not from Netflix, but instead from a rather unexpected source: the Chancellor of the exchequer. Riding on a wave of pre-Budget excitement, Rishi Sunak this week dropped a slick five-minute film that would make any marketing team proud. But while the idea of branding a Budget is [...]
