Royal Mail prepares for holiday rush with 16,000 hires October 3, 2023 Royal Mail is ramping up its Christmas operations, enlisting the help of 16,000 temporary workers to ensure the busiest time of the year runs smoothly for the British postal service. The temporary employees will help 110,000 posties sort and deliver packages ahead of and throughout the holiday season, including over the annual Black Friday and [...]
The Notebook: Andy Silvester on why John Lewis’s next boss would do well to take a shift on the tills October 3, 2023 Where the City’s movers and shakers get a few things off their chest. Today, it’s our editor Andy Silvester with the pen Whoever replaces White would do well to take a shift on the tills Driving alongside Lake Bala, on the edges of Snowdonia, this intrepid Londoner got a shock at the weekend: an entrance [...]
Card Factory: Profits leap 72.7 per cent amid ‘challenging’ climate before Christmas September 26, 2023 Card Factory has reported a 72.7 per cent leap in profit before tax to the end of July, as the occasion market showed signs of strength despite the cost of living crisis. The seller of personalised celebration cards and gifts said revenues also grew 11.5 per cent to £220.8m as the company’s affordable products appealed [...]
Scotch for kids: Bid in the distillers’ charity auction September 26, 2023 The concept is simple: whisky producers donate bottles or casks, which are auctioned as a charity fundraiser. The good part is that these whiskies are truly unique and will never again be available from the producers once the auction closes. The first Distillers’ One of One auction took place in December 2021, and raised more [...]
Tube strikes: Bosses warn of ‘hammer blow’ to London trade as dispute drags on September 26, 2023 Business chiefs have warned that rail strikes set to take place in next week will deal another “hammer blow” to trade in the capital as the cost of rail strikes on City businesses continues to rise.
Gen Z will work hard, but not while stressed millennials stay home September 26, 2023 Gen Z have been lumped with the blame for empty offices, but it is a generation overburdened with housing worries and childcare concerns who have given up the commute, writes Eliza Filby
Retailers put all their chips on inflation cooling during golden Christmas run-up September 22, 2023 A better than expected inflation reading, and growing consumer confidence and sales, have offered a glimmer of hope for the UK’s retail sector, as they turn their focus to the vital Christmas trading months. According to today’s ONS figures, retail sales volumes rose by 0.4 per cent in August 2023, partially recovering from a fall [...]
Consumer confidence continues to rise amid cost-of-living woes September 22, 2023 Consumer confidence is continuing to rise against a backdrop of falling inflation – but many households are continuing to struggle with cost-of-living pressures, according to a survey. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased four points in September, but remains at a subdued minus 21. Expectations for the UK’s wider economy over the next 12 months [...]
Retail sales show signs of recovery after summer washout September 22, 2023 Retail sales volumes rose by 0.4 per cent in August 2023, partially recovering from a fall of 1.1 per cent in July 2023, new government figures show. Non-food stores sales volumes grew by 0.6 per cent in August 2023, following a fall of 1.2 per cent in July 2023 when unseasonable rainy weather drove shoppers [...]
Expend4bles: Sly Stallone gets the gang back together again, again, again September 22, 2023 In 2010, two years before Marvel made the crossover movie mainstream, Sylvester Stallone started up his own shared universe. The Expendables gave nostalgic action fans the chance to see Sly share the screen with former rivals including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis, even passing the mantle on to whippersnapper Jason Statham. It was a huge [...]