Smiths Group shares jump after it gets ‘superior’ £1.75bn offer for medical unit September 8, 2021 FTSE-100 tech company Smiths Group was among the biggest gainers today after it agreed to sell its medical unit to ICU Medical for around £1.75bn. Smiths could also bank a $100m bonus from the deal, dependant on the ICU Medical’s future share price. It led Smiths to recommend shareholders back the new “superior” offer instead [...]
A service economy and shrinking workforce is the driving force of low economic growth September 8, 2021 Extinction Rebellion’s fortnight of protests have only hardened existing beliefs and positions on both sides of the debate. But a book by Dietrich Vollrath of the University of Houston suggests that there may be much broader support for a low or even zero growth agenda than even XR might imagine. Vollrath does not address this [...]
Three brilliant roles to apply for this week September 8, 2021 Are you looking for a new job at the moment? It’s pretty exciting, but it can also be pretty overwhelming. People always say that looking for a job is like a full time job itself, and we couldn’t agree more. Which is why we want to help where we can. We have a brilliant job [...]
Shortage of credit for SMEs preventing UK from ‘levelling up’ September 8, 2021 A critical shortage of lending to Britain’s small businesses is preventing the UK from “levelling up”, according to a report published by a group of cross-party MPs today. The All-Party Parliamentary Group has warned that a lack of trust between banks and businesses has choked the supply of credit to SMEs in the UK. Theodora [...]
London calling: Landlords raring to return to 2019 rents as tenants battle for places September 8, 2021 Londoners looking for a new place to rent are struggling against a competitive market as the number of available properties has dropped by 58 per cent. While there are less properties available on the market for renters compared to August 2020, there has been a 55 per cent boost in the number of tenants searching, [...]
How Hastens luxury beds are helping beat ‘Covidsomnia’ September 8, 2021 Before the onset of the pandemic, insomnia was something I’d only experienced vicariously, through the red-eyed stares of characters on screen, or the defeated anecdotes of colleagues with young children. I’ve always been a big sleeper, never really growing out of that teenage phase of lying in bed late at weekends and occasionally enjoying an [...]
Spending watchdog slams government’s Green Homes Scheme September 8, 2021 The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the government’s abandoned £1.5bn Green Homes scheme as “rushed,” saying it frustrated homeowners and failed to create jobs. The Green Homes grant scheme was introduced to help meet the Government meet its ambitious target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Buildings account for 19 per cent of UK [...]
Amazon paid £492m in UK tax last year despite £20.6bn revenue September 8, 2021 Amazon has revealed that while revenue from UK activities surged 50 per cent in 2020 the company paid just £492m in direct taxes. The company’s total tax contribution from direct and indirect sources was £1.15bn following record revenue from UK activities of £20.63bn last year as successive lockdowns drove shoppers online. In 2019, Amazon raised [...]
‘We’re in a great place’: Frontier Developments charts robust growth despite release hiatus September 8, 2021 Shares in Frontier Developments rose this morning after the video game publisher hit its target full-year sales despite no new releases and the board projected strong 2022 growth due to its “strongest ever” games roadmap. The AIM-listed firm reported a pre-tax profit of £19.2m in the year to the end of May, up 20 per [...]
Aquascutum and Gieves & Hawkes face being dragged down by Chinese parent’s debt struggles September 8, 2021 Struggles in China are pushing some of the most established British fashion brands into a dicey position, with Gieves & Hawkes facing a winding-up order and Aquascutum pulling out of the UK entirely. Chinese outfit Shandong Ruyi, which owns the two firms, has come under increasing pressure over its staggering $4 billion debt following an [...]
