RAC accuses petrol retailers of taking ‘drivers for a ride’ as prices rise despite plummeting wholesale costs December 3, 2021 RAC slammed petrol retailers today for raising prices in November despite plummeting wholesale costs on both major oil benchmarks.
Business rates are an outdated tax which threaten to bury our high streets and shops December 3, 2021 Businesses have been through hell and back over the last two years. From on-off lockdowns, to a botched trade deal with the EU which failed almost every sector of our economy, the business community is suffering. With the Omicron variant creating a new cloud of uncertainty that is hanging over our economy, businesses are facing [...]
Labour squeeze shows no signs of easing ahead of Christmas shopping rush December 3, 2021 ]Shortages of workers stopping UK businesses from functioning normally show no signs of letting up over the busy Christmas period, according to fresh figures published today. In the last week alone, over 200,000 new job adverts were posted as retailers, pubs and restaurants push to ramp up staff levels in preparation for the festive shopping [...]
Trafalgar Square tree can be a sign of a bright new West End future December 3, 2021 The lighting of the Christmas tree has been a cherished tradition in Trafalgar Square since 1947 – when that first Norwegian spruce was lowered into place, a token of thanks from the Norwegian people for the support Britain gave to the country after they suffered Nazi occupation during the Second World War. The lighting up [...]
CD&R £7bn Morrisons takeover put on ice amid market volatility December 2, 2021 Clayton, Dubilier & Rice’s takeover of British supermarket Morrisons has been postponed to next year, as lenders push back on the massive debt package that the US private equity firm is using to finance the buyout to wait out market volatility. In what represents the UK’s biggest buyout in more than a decade at a [...]
Apple cautions suppliers of sliding demand – but heads for sales of $117bn December 2, 2021 Apple has reportedly warned suppliers of sliding demand for its latest iPhone 13 – though the technology giant is still headed for a record Christmas quarter. Reports of the alleged caution prompted investors to duck out of the stock, leaving its share price down more than three per cent to $159.59 a share. Shares had [...]
Ryanair remains positive despite Omicron concerns December 2, 2021 Eddie Wilson, chief executive of Ryanair DAC, said this morning the airline remains positive about summer demand, bypassing concerns related to the new Covid variant, Omicron, and its impact on Christmas demand. Speaking at London’s World Aviation Festival, Wilson said that the carrier’s focus remained on next summer. “We were hoping that the demand curve [...]
Is the “Santa Rally” real? December 2, 2021 Investors found their festive spirits in 2020 despite a raging pandemic. Even with most of the global economy shut due to Covid-19, US stocks recorded their best December monthly return in over a decade, with the Ibbotson SBBI US Large Cap index returning 3.8%. It was the second year in succession that US stocks have [...]
Bullish Omicron assessments boost global markets December 1, 2021 A string of bullish assessments from global health leaders downplaying the severity of the Omicron variant boosted global markets yesterday. Investors shook off concerns over the Covid-19 variant derailing the world’s fight against the pandemic and poured back into stocks. London’s premier FTSE 100 index shot up 1.55 per cent to close at 7,168.68 points [...]
Pubs and bars anxiously wait to see if Omicron headlines have impacted customer confidence December 1, 2021 Hospitality firms are anxiously awaiting to see if Omicron variant headlines have hit consumer confidence. The bosses of both Loungers’ and Marston’s told CityA.M. that it was too soon to tell if bar goers had been deterred from making trips to venues after news of a new Covid variant. Loungers’ CEO Nick Collins said he [...]