Square Mile and Me: Jim Wood-Smith on all-day breakfasts, birthday redundancies and why the City needs to watch Monty Python August 17, 2023 Every week we ask the financial services industry’s great and good to delve into memory lane. This week, it’s Hawksmoor Investment Management’s Market Commentator and Head of Climate Transition Jim Wood-Smith who gives us an insight into a City left behind in more ways than one… What was your first job? I never did the [...]
How is Sunak doing on halving inflation, cutting NHS lists and stopping boats? August 16, 2023 In January, Rishi Sunak unveiled the vision for his government. Five pledges; five clear goals; five ambitions for his ministers. His aim was clear: be seen as an effective, solutions-focused administration and, hopefully, reap the electoral rewards. “No tricks, no ambiguity; we’re either delivering for you or we’re not,” he vowed. Eight months in, and [...]
Tighter interest rates and inflation clobber UK business confidence August 1, 2023 Higher interest rates and elevated prices have thrown a wet blanket over UK business optimism, according to surveys out today. Confidence as measured by the lobby group the Institute of Directors (IoD) was largely unchanged last month at minus 30 points, up marginally from June’s minus 31 point reading. It solidifies signs that pessimism is [...]
UK remains European fintech lead despite major investment slump July 31, 2023 Fintech investment in the UK slumped 57 per cent in the first half of the year as rising rates, high inflation and geopolitical tensions dampened investor sentiment. Total UK fintech investment dropped to $5.9bn (£4.6bn) in the first half of the year, down from $13.8bn in the same period last year, according to data from [...]
Mick Lynch accuses government of preventing settlement as Saturday strike begins July 29, 2023 The leader of the biggest rail workers’ union has accused the Government of preventing a settlement to the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions, which is causing fresh travel disruption on Saturday. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out for the day, leading to the widespread cancellation of train services. The [...]
John Lewis revamps marketing approach as it tackles losses July 28, 2023 John Lewis has created a ‘customer planning team’ to make the most out of its marketing budget in stores and online, as it struggles with huge losses. The upmarket British retailer, famed for its annual tearjerker Christmas ad, has appointed Andreas Nicolaides to lead the new team from October. John Lewis, which owns Waitrose, said [...]
Beverly Hills, 9021: Oh! Checking into the Beverly Hills Hotel for its centenary year July 27, 2023 The Beverly Hills Hotel, aka The Pink Palace is still the place to be seen in Hollywood, says Siobhan Grogan. From celeb-spotting to relaxing, this is still a rare paradise at 100 years old Within a few short hours of arriving in Los Angeles, I’m sitting metres away from two of the most famous women [...]
Revolution Bars: Clubbers scaling back makes for a ‘challenging’ year ahead July 26, 2023 Revolution Bars Group said that it expects trading for the rest of the year to be “challenging”, as young clubbers are scaling back nights out due to the cost of living crisis. In its full year results the group said like-for-like sales were down 8.7 per cent against pre-covid levels, as it warned that trading [...]
Food promotions now make up 22.5 per cent of grocery sales – and it’s up a fifth from last year July 25, 2023 Promotions on food and other items now account for 22.5 per cent of grocery sales, as Brits continue to seek out bargains amid the cost of living crisis. The figure has risen from 20 per cent last year in the same period last year and is the highest over the past 12 months excluding Christmas and [...]
Cities are ecosystems and we need to constantly refresh them July 19, 2023 Oxford Street is, despite the fact that most Londoners venture their only under the most extreme of Christmas present pressures, a literal shop window for the capital. That it has been recently taken over by garish American candy stores and knock-off vape shops is, therefore, less than ideal. The steps Westminster Council are taking, then, [...]