Brits warned to brace for higher alcohol prices from next week January 28, 2025 On February 1 new duty rates on wine and spirits will come into force, meaning a rise in price for most alcohol. Under a new sliding system of duties, wine with a higher abv (alcohol by volume) will see the biggest price increase, with the duty on a 14.5 per cent abv wine to rise [...]
The Top 5 Charity Causes UK Employees Want To Support In 2025 January 24, 2025 In 2025, employees want more than a paycheque – they want purpose. With effective social impact being top of mind this year, aligning your CSR programmes with employee values is critical to boosting engagement, satisfaction, and loyalty within your team. Yet, a recent NVCO study revealed that one of the biggest barriers to participation is [...]
The UK’s housing crisis is creating a generation of broke retirees January 24, 2025 The affordability crisis in the UK housing market is creating a generation who will still face monthly mortgage or rent payments well into retirement, according to a new study. With deposits increasingly hard to save up for and mortgages increasingly burdensome, few people will be free of housing costs by 2050, unless something changes. A [...]
Denmark has the ‘happiest city in the world’. I spent a week there in search of their secret January 22, 2025 Can a city cure sadness? Adam Bloodworth visits Denmark’s other capital, Aarhus, to speak to some of the happiest people in the world You probably haven’t heard of Aarhus, but Denmark’s second biggest city – which has serious beef with Copenhagen – claims to be the ‘happiest city in the world’. The British Institute for [...]
Rachel Reeves’ tax hikes pose ‘major threat’ to UK labour market resilience January 20, 2025 The government's tax hike pose a "major threat" to the health of the labour market, a leading economist has warned.
Inside the bitter court battle over Yodel’s future – and why it matters January 20, 2025 An increasingly bitter legal battle has broken out between Yodel and the entrepreneur who attempted to rescue the delivery giant last year. In the one corner is the Liverpool-headquartered company and its chief executive, Mike Hancox. In the other is the man who led that aborted rescue deal – which ended up falling through last [...]
Train drivers seek to put ‘dent’ in cost of living in pay talks January 18, 2025 Train drivers in England will look to “put a dent” in the cost of living over the past few years when they negotiate their next pay settlement, according to the head of their union. Mick Whelan, general secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef), told the i Paper any proposed rise [...]
Writing off net zero? Kemi Badenoch mustn’t fall into Reform’s trap January 17, 2025 Kemi Badenoch is right to question the path to net zero, but pandering to Reform and writing it off will get us nowhere, writes Sam Hall.
UK retail sales plunged in December as Budget fallout spread January 17, 2025 UK retail sales dropped during December, despite expectations of a Christmas bounce as consumers pulled back on spending. In a worrying sign for the economy, retail sales fell 0.3 per cent in December. Analysts had pencilled in growth of 0.4 per cent. November’s retail sales growth was also revised down by the Office for National [...]
M&C Saatchi: Ad giant maintains momentum as revenue grows January 17, 2025 Ad giant M&C Saatchi reported solid revenue growth for the financial year, as its transformation strategy began taking shape. The company told markets this morning that full year revenue grew by 3.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis, to approximately £243m. According to Friday’s trading update, the firm maintained its first half momentum of ‘significant [...]