Govt will no longer review workers’ rights post-Brexit, minister says January 28, 2021 A planned review into UK workers’ rights has been halted, with business minister Kwasi Kwarteng saying the government is not looking to dilute employment protections post-Brexit. Last week, Kwarteng rejected rumours that he was planning to end the 48-hour working week, wanted to amend rules around rest breaks, and would exclude overtime pay when calculating [...]
Hunter becomes the hunted: property firm sold to TPFG for £24m January 28, 2021 Real estate firm Hunters agreed this morning to a takeover by The Property Franchise Group (TPFG) to create an enlarged franchised estate agent with just over 400 branches. TPFG is set to acquire Hunters for £24m after the approval of the firm’s founder, chairman and MP Kevin Hollinrake. The acquisition should allow for cost synergies [...]
City Moves for 27 January: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? January 27, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Lombard Odier IM bolsters institutional sales team Lombard Odier Investment Managers (LOIM) has bolstered its UK and Ireland institutional sales team with two new hires. Chris Vogtherr and Claudia Ziebart joined the investment [...]
Boots owner WBA appoints former Amazon director as new CEO January 27, 2021 The owner of Boots will strengthen its team in March with the appointment of a business powerhouse as the new CEO and adding a new executive chairman to its board. Previously chief operating officer of Starbucks Rosalind Brewer will join Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) as chief executive officer. Brewer, a former Amazon director, was the [...]
SMEs do not expect to be back at pre-pandemic levels until next year January 26, 2021 Small businesses have been left in financial ruin due to the pandemic, with one in 12 unsure they will ultimately survive, according to new research. The data from Santander found that 21 per cent of small businesses expect they may collapse before any changes in restrictions kick in. Those who will survive, do not expect [...]
London best UK city for female entrepreneurs January 25, 2021 A new study has found that the UK is the fifth best country for female entrepreneurs in the world, with London hailed the best city across the UK for women-owned startups. Analysing data from Crunchbase, Mastercard, Tide and Linkedin, the study by JBH Digital PR Agency found that finance was the most viable option for [...]
UK sustainable finance bond issuance climbs to £10bn in 2020 January 25, 2021 UK sustainable finance bond issuance hit a record of £10bn in proceeds last year, raising double of what was raised in a far less turbulent 2019, Refinitiv data found. The UK ranked sixth in Europe and ninth in the world for sustainable finance issuance, achieving multiple record highs thanks to sovereigns, multilaterals and banks pushing [...]
Pubs and restaurants struggle to pay rent due to lockdown restrictions January 25, 2021 Commercial landlords collected just 77 per cent of rent in the final quarter, as retail, leisure and hospitality firms struggled under the pressure of lockdown restrictions. The latest research showed that pub, bar and restaurant tenants paid 23 per cent of rent as sales were decimated by Covid-19 restrictions in the crucial Christmas trading period. [...]
Dutch anti-lockdown protests turn violent after new curfew January 25, 2021 Thousands of people in The Netherlands have come out against tougher Covid restrictions, namely the country’s first curfew since the Second World War, with police detaining around 240 people yesterday. Protesters were detained after demonstrations turned violent and people looted shops, started fires and threw stones and fireworks. Demonstrations hit at least 10 Dutch cities [...]
Universal Credit support to be reviewed by govt January 25, 2021 The government plans to review the support those on welfare receive during the pandemic, the work and pensions minister said today. Minister Therese Coffey, when asked whether a boost to Universal Credit would be extended, said that the benefit is being reviewed. “We’re in active discussion with the Treasury, working together to try and make [...]
