EU referendum: Asda, HSBC, Vodafone and nearly 200 sign letter saying Brexit would threaten jobs – but Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s are not on the list February 23, 2016 The bosses of HSBC, BT, Vodafone and Asda are among those to have put their name to an open letter backing the remain camp and Prime Minister David Cameron's reforms in Europe. More than a third of the UK's biggest companies were represented in the letter, which was published in The Times this morning, saying they represented [...]
London startup Qubit lands $40m series C round from Goldman Sachs, Sapphire Ventures, Accel and Saleforce Ventures February 22, 2016 Goldman Sachs is among the investors to plough $40m (£28.4m) into London startup Qubit in the latest of several deals injecting venture capital cash into the UK. The data analytics startup founded in the capital in 2010 landed the cash from Goldman's merchant banking division along with Sapphire Ventures and previous investors Accel and Salesforce Ventures. It brings its [...]
FTSE 100 index still volatile as days two of the European Council summit in Brussels looms – but Coca-Cola’s share price fizzes February 19, 2016 The FTSE 100 index opened with volatility this morning after having fallen below 6,000 mark yesterday as investors continued to look to Brussels The UK's blue chip index was trading 0.09 per cent down at 5,970 points in the early morning, having risen to 5,987 points as the market opened. "Having stalled on Thursday after large gains the [...]
Get out your glad-rags: City heavyweights have been shortlisted for the British LGBT Awards 2016 February 18, 2016 It's been called the "Gay Oscars" by loyal fans; the shortlist for this year's British LGBT Awards is now public, and London's financial firms are forerunners for a few gongs. Shattering perceptions of stuffy conservatism, business leaders and global corporations including Barclays, Citi and Goldman Sachs have been shortlisted for accolades ahead of the big night at London's Grand [...]
Asda owner Wal-Mart Stores share price falls as constant currency revenue inches up for fourth quarter and fiscal year 2016, after firm closes more than 250 stores worldwide February 18, 2016 Share price in Wal-Mart Stores fell today after the US retail giant revealed constant currency revenues had inched up only slightly for both its fourth quarter and its fiscal year 2016. Total revenue for the year ended January 2016 was $499.4bn (£347.7bn) on a constant currency basis, up 2.8 per cent on the year before, while [...]
Asda sales fall again after Walmart-owned supermarket suffers one of its toughest years yet February 18, 2016 Asda has reported its sixth consecutive quarter of decline, after what the supermarket chain described as one its the toughest years yet. Like-for-like sales slumped by 5.8 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 January, its fourth financial quarter, taking full-year sales down by 4.7 per cent. This was an acceleration on the third [...]
Morrisons takes £30m swipe at supermarket rival Asda…by improving staff tea areas February 18, 2016 The gloves have come off in the latest supermarket fight. Morrisons has announced it will splash out £30m on improving staff rest areas – at a time when it says Asda is doing the exact opposite. The retailer said the four year makeover will see dated decor and furniture thrown out and replaced with new [...]
As consumer price index inflation reaches a 12-month high, should we expect price rises to accelerate? February 17, 2016 Ben Brettell, senior economist at Hargreaves Lansdown, says Yes. Yes – but not by much, and not because of any inflationary pressures in the underlying economy. The headline rate of inflation continues to be largely driven by volatile fuel prices. Throughout 2015, fuel prices were registering double-digit falls compared with a year earlier. But given how [...]
ONS consumer price index: Motor fuel helps send UK inflation up by 0.3 per cent in January February 16, 2016 Petrol prices helped Britain's annual inflation rate inch up to a 12-month high in January, figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today showed. The consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.3 per cent in the year to January, up from 0.2 per cent in December, and in line with economists' expectations. This means prices rose 7.9 per cent [...]
Here’s why mums go to Iceland: Supermarket beats Tesco, Asda and Morrisons to be named the best online retailer in consumer survey, and boss Malcolm Walker is clearly pleased February 15, 2016 Iceland, favourite of mothers across the nation and anybody else looking for decently priced party snacks they can stock in their freezer, has been voted the UK's best online supermarket. The league table released today by Which? gives Iceland an impressive overall customer satisfaction score of 77 per cent, ranking it above Waitrose, Ocado and [...]