Fiscal prudence? The iron chancellor doth protest too much July 24, 2024 Rachel Reeves’ decision to expand the powers of the OBR suggests apprehension, not confidence, writes Tim Focas. Rachel Reeves has promised to be an “iron chancellor” embodying fiscal constraint and discipline. Yet, her first legislative move to enhance the powers of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) raises questions about her own confidence in living [...]
Build, Baby, Build: If you want growth, you need social housing July 24, 2024 Key workers are being priced out of renting in London, placing huge human and economic costs on the capital. By recognising the value of social housing to people and to the economy, we can make the case to build more much-needed social housing in London and create a more affordable, more inclusive city for all [...]
Carpetright: All you need to know ahead of redundancies and store closures July 23, 2024 Carpetright has become the latest household name to fall into insolvency following the likes of The Body Shop, Ted Baker and online luxury fashion retailers Matches and Farfetch earlier this year.
‘A beneficiary of recent UK economic malaise’: Pawnbrokers are still doing well. July 23, 2024 Britain’s biggest pawnbroker H&T reported strong sales in line with expectations for the first six months of the year despite improving an economic climate in the UK. The value of H&T’s pledge book, which tracks short term loans via the pawnbroker, increased by four per cent to reach £105m in the first half of the [...]
Grocers vs bargain chains: Discount competition is heating up July 23, 2024 The discount sector is crowded and competitive: Aldi, Lidl, Poundland and B&M are only a few of the retailers vying for space. The market for discount goods has been growing over the last few years, but not every company has been a winner – only a few stores have managed to attract and keep customers. [...]
LVMH-backed L Catterton, the new owner of Bicester Village is one of the world’s biggest retail investors July 22, 2024 Silver Bidco, a newly-formed Jersey-based vehicle of L Catterton, has bought Hammerson's stake in Value Retail, the owner of Bicester Village.
Brand Architekts: Skinny Tan owner inks new deals with Holland & Barrett and Boots July 22, 2024 Brand Architekts, the beauty specialist behind British brands including Skinny Tan and Super Facialist has signed new deals with big name retailers including Asda, Holland & Barrett and Boots to its distributor list, as it continues to battle "challenging" conditions.
Elite athletes transform communities – this Labour government must invest after Paris 2024 July 22, 2024 These are the people you don’t recall when you become an elite athlete. But publicly funding elite athletes, including those at Paris 2024, is good for us all.
Consumer confidence hit highest level in three years July 19, 2024 Consumer confidence has risen to its highest level in three years in a tentative sign that the economy is leaving the cost-of-living crisis behind, new data from Deloitte shows. In its latest quarterly Consumer Tracker survey, Deloitte found that sentiment grew by 6.8 per cent year on year, boosted by a significant improvement in sentiment [...]
Even as sales slump, Jonathan Akeroyd leaves Burberry a stronger brand July 18, 2024 As Akeroyd leaves the famous fashion brand, Steve Hatch unpacks the data asking: Is Burberry throwing the baby out with the bathwater?