Jump in rail passengers May 9, 2011 PASSENGER numbers on the UK’s railways have grown almost five per cent in the first three months of the year, with the steep hike in fuel prices cited as the main reason for the increase. Figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies show that passenger numbers increased by 4.8 per cent between January and [...]
Thomas Cook pays dear for world unrest May 9, 2011 TOUR operator Thomas Cook has said the impact of unrest in the Middle East and North Africa would be worse than expected as holidaymakers avoided destinations in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. Europe’s second-biggest travel firm said yesterday it expected around £35m to be knocked off its profits in the second half of the year, worse [...]
Travis Perkins’ market share up as sales rise May 9, 2011 DIY retailer Wickes, owned by Travis Perkins, yesterday said its sales and market share were on the rise. Wickes’ like-for-like sales were up 1.9 per cent over the four months to 30 April, while gross margins improved. The company has weathered the market better than Focus DIY, which went into administration last Thursday. Travis Perkins, [...]
House prices slide despite more activity May 9, 2011 HOUSE prices continued their decline last month despite increasing signs of the market stabilising, two separate surveys have shown. Prices were down 1.4 per cent in April, the Halifax announced yesterday, while this morning the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) revealed that 29 per cent of surveyors are still reporting falling prices, compared to [...]
Business services crucial to UK May 9, 2011 BUSINESS services such as accountancy, IT and engineering are the unsung heroes of economic growth in the UK, a report by The Work Foundation will claim today. Despite its recent resurgence, manufacturing is no longer the driver of the economy, and the chancellor George Osborne is wrong to “pin all hopes for recovery on this [...]
Hot weather in April sees shoppers return to stores May 9, 2011 HIGH street sales sprang back to life last month, boosted by April’s extra bank holidays and sunny weather. Retail sales were up 5.2 per cent on an annualised like-for-like basis, a big spike from disappointing drops in sales seen in the previous two months. “Easter and the royal wedding bank holiday provided a badly needed [...]
UK’s growth to lag behind peers May 9, 2011 The global recovery is set to continue, but countries such as the UK will lag behind with sluggish growth, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said yesterday. Along with France the UK will only experience “stable, slow pace of expansion” despite a rosier outlook in countries such as Canada, China, the US and [...]
German exports surged in March May 9, 2011 German exports soared in March by 7.4 per cent compared to the previous month, official data showed yesterday. The spike saw the German trade surplus reach a six-month high of €15.3bn (£13.4bn), up from €11.2bn – the third sharpest monthly increase in the last nine years. Imports grew by 3.3 per cent compared to February. [...]
Business morale drops in France May 9, 2011 French business confidence unexpectedly slipped in April, down from 110 to 107 in the Banque de France survey. “That represents the biggest monthly fall since late 2008 during the financial crisis,” said Ken Wattret of BNP Paribas.
University offer system is flawed May 9, 2011 British universities’ reliance on predicted exam results harms students already disadvantaged by their background, new research suggests. The system reduces the chance of admission for pupils from poorer households, according to a team of economists from Warwick University.
