Bank of England risks tipping UK economy into recession with further interest rate hikes, MPC’s Dhingra warns March 8, 2023 The Bank of England risks tipping the UK economy into recession if it raises interest rates too aggressively and worsening the cost of living crisis, a top official said today. Swati Dhingra, an external member of the Bank of England rate setting monetary policy committee (MPC), warned “overtightening poses a more material risk at this [...]
Hotel Chocolat ‘cautious’ as falling revenue and profit dampen outlook for Mother’s Day and Easter sales March 8, 2023 Hotel Chocolat had a bittersweet second half of 2022 with dents in its revenue and profits, owing to “hefty investments”, as it is not so optimistic ahead of Mother’s Day and Easter. The premium chocolate maker reported a fall in its revenue to £129m down from £142m last year, while its gross profit was down [...]
Wagamama owner TRG to close 35 locations as cost of living crisis digs into profits March 8, 2023 The Wagamama owner said that it will shutter some 35 “loss making” locations taking its portfolio from 166 restaurants down to 75-85 due to a “tough macro-environment,” which has deterred customers from eating out.
The Notebook: Victoria Scholar on why it’s not all doom and gloom for the economy March 8, 2023 The Notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today, it’s Victoria Scholar, head of investment at Interactive Investor, on why it’s not the time to be gloomy about the UK’s prospects, the battle for your coffee pound and a new podcast. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that the UK economy is in a [...]
Business groups question Bank of England Mann’s ‘greedflation’ claim March 8, 2023 Business groups yesterday said many firms had no choice but to raise prices to offset high costs in response to a Bank of England rate setter claiming companies are pursuing so-called ‘greedflation’ by pumping up prices to exploit strong consumer spending. Catherine Mann, an external member of the Bank’s rate setting monetary policy committee (MPC), [...]
UK commits £76m of dormant assets to tackle cost of living crisis March 7, 2023 The government has committed £76m of dormant assets to go towards tackling the cost of living crisis as it seeks to unlock over £800m for community funding over the next few years. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) confirmed today that an initial £76m will be distributed to 69,000 people under the Dormant [...]
Greggs on a roll: Baker will boost its UK sites to 3,000 as later opening proves a hit with steak bake lovers March 7, 2023 Steak bake favourite Greggs said it expected to become a “significantly larger” business as it announced plans to grow its presence to 3000 sites following stellar sales figures. The budget bakery chain saw total sales up 23 per cent to £1.5bn in 2022, compared to £1.2bn the previous year, as consumers craved the brand’s new [...]
Retail sales: Shoppers feeling the love in lead up to Valentine’s Day not enough to protect sector from ‘volatile trading conditions’ March 7, 2023 Shoppers scrambling for gifts in the lead up to Valentine’s Day helped boost retail sales in February, however the sector has warned that it’s still facing “volatile trading conditions”. According to figures published by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), UK total retail sales increased by 5.2 per cent in February as consumers showed they were [...]
Cost of living crisis: One in seven Brits have skipped meals because they cannot afford to eat March 7, 2023 One in seven people have skipped meals due to the rising cost of living, according to a survey. Almost one in 10 have prioritised meals for other family members above themselves and 4% have used a food bank, the Which? consumer insight tracker found. Some seven in 10 (72 per cent) have turned the heating [...]
Eon set for hiring spree to handle strain of energy crisis on customers March 7, 2023 Renewable supplier Eon Next has announced plans to hire more than 1,300 people to improve its services for customers.