The future of film: Big screen’s make or break moment August 9, 2021 As blockbuster season explodes into action and Cannes finally reconvenes, it may seem like business as usual for cinema. But peek behind the scenes and there are still huge challenges to overcome. Three CAs in the sector tell Christian Koch about the big screen’s make-or-break moment. This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Hollywood and [...]
Private equity needs to start speaking up for itself – it could be the key to ‘levelling up’ August 6, 2021 Private equity’s reputation is once again in the spotlight. With the supermarket Morrisons in the industry’s crosshairs, the public memory is reminded of previous scandals involving other household names. The multi-billion-pound bidding war for a major employer, headquartered in the north of England, has understandably attracted the interest of ministers and opposition politicians sensitive to [...]
Dominic Cummings claims Boris Johnson offered him peerage August 5, 2021 Dominic Cummings has claimed that Boris Johnson offered him a seat in the House of Lords as he was leaving Downing Street last year. Cummings said the Prime Minister “almost immediately started laughing” after he made the offer and that the Prime Minister “realised that that was not exactly the sort of thing that would [...]
Firefighter wins claim against Fire Brigades Union after suspension for pro-Brexit speech August 5, 2021 A firefighter who sued the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for unfair dismissal over a pro-Brexit speech has announced he has won his claim. Former FBU executive council member Paul Embery was suspended from his post for giving a speech at a Leave Means Leave rally in March 2019 in London. Embery, now a columnist at [...]
London restaurants warned of meat and seafood shortages this autumn August 5, 2021 Rrestaurants and gastropubs in London and the rest of the UK have been warned of potential shortages of key menu items alongside a spike in inflation this autumn. Buying specialist Lynx Purchasing said hospitality businesses would face “significant and widespread” challenges with higher prices and food shortages for the rest of the year, including supply [...]
Brickability post strong results despite year-on-year fall in revenue and profit August 5, 2021 Brickability have seen a slight fall in year-on-year revenue as the company’s accounts were hit by early year trading restrictions. The concrete block and brick manufacturer saw a 3.2 per cent fall in its revenue from £187.1m in 2020 to £181.1m in 2021. Restrictions brought on the pandemic are thought to be the reason behind [...]
Brexit and Covid impact: More than 90,000 EU workers to have left UK hospitality jobs August 5, 2021 More than 90,000 EU workers left the UK’s hospitality sector in the last year, new figures have revealed. Fresh research from jobs site Caterer.com found that three out of five hospitality employers are now receiving record numbers of applications from UK workers. London was identified as acutely affected by the exodus with the research estimating [...]
John Lewis hikes lorry driver salaries by £5,000 amid driver shortages August 5, 2021 John Lewis has today announced that it will up the salaries of its lorry drivers by £5,000 a year as the current shortage of HGV drivers continues to weigh on the supermarket sector. The retailer said that the rise, which works out at roughly £2 an hour, came in response to the shortfall, which has [...]
Irn-Bru maker facing ‘increased challenges’ with lorry driver shortages August 3, 2021 AG Barr has said it faces “increased challenges” with its haulage fleet while expecting to report a revenue of some £134m for the first half of the financial year. Bosses have warned August will be a pinch point for the shortage of qualified HGV drivers, which was exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic, as supermarkets [...]
UK Manufacturing PMIs: Staff and parts shortages sees recovery begin to slow August 2, 2021 The UK manufacturing upturn remained solid in July but failed to hit the heights of previous months as supply chain and labour constraints began to snarl up production lines across the country. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index stood at 60.4 last month, down from previous highs in May of 65.8. Read more: UK jobs market [...]