M&C Saatchi revenues of £118m mark ‘key turning point’ September 21, 2021 M&C Saatchi Plc has reported net revenue of £118m for its half-year results, up by 14 per cent compared to the same period last year, as profits at the advertising giant have exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The results were also ahead of the London-listed firm’s initial expectations. The Group said its “strong financial governance” had [...]
Lime: The e-scooter firm looking to make the car obsolete September 21, 2021 London has seen many changes over the last 18 months. Some of these may not last long, now that life is heading back to normality, but others feel like they could be set to stay. Perhaps the most obvious of these have been the changes made to the very fabric of the capital, which has [...]
Legal Q&A: How referees’ pay could be hit by a tax dispute with HMRC and why this could have wide-reaching effects on the gig economy September 21, 2021 Lawyer Kevin Barrow explores the implications of an ongoing case between referees and HMRC. What’s this case about? It’s about whether PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) needs to deduct income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from payments it makes to referees whom it has engaged on a self-employed “gig worker” basis to officiate at [...]
Black Sheep Coffee: Already seeing office return benefit September 21, 2021 A London coffee business with a stronghold in the City has said it is already reaping the rewards of home workers returning to offices. Black Sheep Coffee plans to double the size of its estate this year, backed by more than £4m in additional funding. “A lot of our sites are getting really busy now, [...]
National Express exploring takeover of rival Stagecoach September 21, 2021 National Express has confirmed reports that it is looking into a possible takeover of its fellow transport heavyweight Stagecoach. The British bus operator has started discussions around buying out its Scottish rival, the UK’s largest bus operator. Stagecoach shares rose by almost 90 per cent over the last year, reaching a market value of around [...]
Government borrowing in August hit £20.5bn September 21, 2021 Government borrowing stood at £20.5bn in August, down from £26bn the previous year, according to official data. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said last month’s figure was the second highest August borrowing since records began in 1993. The data shows borrowing so far this financial year has reached £93.8bn since the end of March [...]
Making homes greener could create up to 138,000 new jobs and unlock £9.8bn for the economy September 21, 2021 Making homes more energy efficient could create up to 138,000 new jobs in the UK, while also injecting £9.8bn into the economy by 2030, a new report has found. The report, by Cambridge Econometrics for Greenpeace UK, found that a country-wide project to insulate homes and swap gas boilers for heat pumps, could also unlock [...]
Financial services were forgotten by Brexit and London deserves better September 21, 2021 I have always been optimistic about London’s ability to bounce back from the terrible economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The good news is my optimism was well founded – as we’re already seeing many positive signs. Our “Let’s Do London” campaign is working, enticing Londoners and visitors back to experience all that central London [...]
Post-pandemic surge in job vacancies benefitting low skilled male workers September 21, 2021 Workers in low paying occupations are in high demand post-pandemic with vacancies up by a fifth according to a new study. While recent ONS data showed that worker vacancies surged to a record 1m in August the IFS has revealed that demand is patchy across the jobs market. Vacancies in the lowest-paying third of occupations [...]
TrueLayer raises $130m in funding round September 21, 2021 TrueLayer has raised $130m (£95.2m) in its latest funding round led by Tiger Global Management. The investment brings the total raised by TrueLayer, a banking platform which powers global payments, to $270m. Stripe, a global payments technology provider, also participated in the funding round. Francesco Simoneschi, CEO and co-founder of TrueLayer, commented: “there is only [...]
