Summer DIY builds up Wickes sales above pre-pandemic levels July 21, 2021 Supply store Wickes has seen like-for-like growth lift more than 22 per cent on pre-pandemic levels, as the UK’s warm weather pushes DIY’s lockdown momentum to continue. The Watford-headquartered retailer said that its sales lift in the 26 weeks to 26 June was driven by DIY and local trade. Physicals sales were up 33.1 per [...]
Law firm DWF reports strong year with revenue over £400m July 21, 2021 DWF Group, the international legal firm, has reported a rise in its revenues to £400m, in its full year results released today. Revenue rose to £401m for the year ended 30 April 2021, representing a 12 per cent increase from £357m in the previous year. Net revenue also grew by 14 per cent to £338.1m. DWF’s [...]
Post-Brexit: M&S chairman sounds alarm on higher prices in Northern Ireland July 21, 2021 The chairman of Marks & Spencer has warned that consumers in Northern Ireland will have to contend with higher prices and fewer products if current post-Brexit customs rules come into force this year. Greater bureaucracy involved in goods entering Northern and the Republic of Ireland is “threatening” Marks & Spencer, Archie Norman said in a [...]
Stripe: Fintech needs to work in tandem with traditional banks, not see them as the enemy July 21, 2021 Necessity may be the mother of invention, but it has a second child in collaboration. When it comes to crunch moments and serious challenges, the human tendency is to put differences aside and work together to find solutions. Take the vaccine rollout. The whole program is an enormous collaboration of academic institutions, public bodies, and [...]
Universities are failing us: they’re expensive, ill-equipped and entrench ‘left-behind’ towns in the UK July 21, 2021 A record number of students have applied for university, with just over 300,000 submitting applications, according to UCAS. This represents 44 per cent of the entire year group, up 10 per cent on what was then a new record total in 2020. One of the main drivers has been the uncertainty the pandemic has created [...]
UK worker shortages mount as applicants tumble 24 per cent July 21, 2021 Worker shortages in the UK continues to intensify despite firms stepping up efforts to hire talent, according to new figures published today. Research by Broadbean Technology, the world’s largest network of job boards, shows job application in the UK fell 24 per cent between May and June of this year. However, vaccines were up 10 [...]
Haldane: Covid vaccine programme a model for successful innovation policy July 21, 2021 The former chief economist at the Bank of England has praised the UK’s Covid vaccination programme for being a model of successful innovation policy. In a foreword to a policy paper published by think tank Policy Exchange, Andy Haldane said the vaccine initiative “involved a clear mission, project management by Government… all underpinned by large-scale [...]
Covid: Economic scaring to restrict Sunak from announcing giveaways in spending review July 21, 2021 Long-standing damage inflicted on the UK economy by Covid and surging interest costs will restrict Rishi Sunak from announcing any giveaways in his upcoming spending review, according to new research published today. Forecasts published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Britain’s leading independent microeconomic research institute, show the chancellor has little room to manoeuvre due [...]
Should the regulator have the power to establish a standardised Code of Ethics for all the chartered accountancy bodies July 21, 2021 Loree Gourley, Chair of the ICAS Ethics Board, considers the BEIS consultation proposal for the regulator to have the power to establish and enforce a standardised Code of Ethics for all the chartered accountancy bodies. The BEIS consultation ‘Restoring trust in audit and corporate governance’ was published on 18 March 2021, with responses being due [...]
Revolut enters travel booking sector with in-app service for UK holidaymakers July 21, 2021 The challenger bank is capitalising on post-lockdown savings and desire to travel with a new in-app product that allows users to book holiday accommodation in the same place that they manage their finances. Revolut users in the UK are now able to check their cashflow before booking holiday accommodation, all without logging out of the [...]
