Black Friday 2019: Sales up in November after discount event December 3, 2019 Retail sales increased last month thanks to a bumper Black Friday, as shoppers made the most of the pre-Christmas discounting event. November sales figures – adjusted for Black Friday, which fell outside of the British Retail Consortium’s standard recording period – showed 0.9 per cent growth compared to last year. Read more: Black Friday spending [...]
FTSE 100 climbs higher as China manufacturing PMI offsets US-China trade war doubts December 2, 2019 Strong Chinese manufacturing PMI pushed the FTSE 100 higher today despite a lack of progress between the US and China on a trade deal. London’s blue-chip index rose to 7,395.5 points in early trading, up 0.67 per cent. Read more: Asian stocks climb as Chinese manufacturing PMI improves France’s Cac climbed 0.65 per cent to [...]
Commuters set for 27 days of misery as South Western Railway strikes start December 2, 2019 Workers on South Western Railway (SWR) have today begun a 27-day strike after talks between the RMT union and the train operator came to nothing. Commuters are set for extensive disruption throughout the Christmas period due to the action, which is the result of a long-running dispute about the role of guards on trains. Read [...]
The Xmas endgame: Why retailers are wasting their money on Christmas TV adverts December 2, 2019 An estimated £6.8bn has been spent on creating and buying airtime for this year’s crop of Christmas commercials — up nearly five per cent on last year’s spend. Certainly, the ads boast high production values, but was this money well spent, or would these brands have been better off holding onto the cash and hoping [...]
No, your CEO can’t come paint our office: The 4 golden rules for CSR December 2, 2019 Two years ago, I launched Beam, a tech-for-good startup that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people and supports them into stable, paid work. Ever since we started to gain visibility, a number of brands have approached us with different propositions for demonstrating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) agendas. To paint a picture of what these approaches [...]
Labour to cut rail fares and create ‘London-style’ ticketing for the UK December 1, 2019 Labour will reform the country’s rail ticketing system to create a one-stop shop for tickets if elected, while also promising to cut fares by 33 per cent. The party wants to create a uniform “London-style” ticketing system that allows contactless payments and sets out fares on a zonal basis. Read more: Train companies to hike [...]
Big Four firm PwC cracks down on drinking alcohol in the office December 1, 2019 Big Four accountancy firm PwC has cracked down on drinking alcohol in the office. Under new rules introduced this year, alcohol can only be drunk on PwC premises when it has been supplied by the firm’s in-house catering team at specially designated events. A spokesperson for the firm said: “As part of the regular review [...]
Sir Vince Cable calls Royal Mail share slump ‘vindicating’ December 1, 2019 Former Lib Dem business secretary Sir Vince Cable has said he has been “vindicated” by the collapse in Royal Mail’s share price after his handling of the firm’s privatisation six years ago drew criticism. The coalition government was attacked at the time of the float for undervaluing Royal Mail after its shares soared by more [...]
Train companies to hike rail fares as commuters brace for strike chaos November 30, 2019 Millions of commuters will have to fork out even more on travel from January as UK train companies hike fares by 2.7 per cent on average. The increase is below July’s retail price index figure of 2.8 per cent, which is used to calculate rail fares. However, it is above the equivalent consumer price index [...]
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Bridge Theatre review: Perfect family fun November 29, 2019 Christmas is not typically a high-point for theatre, but parents seeking something beyond this season’s repertoire of pantomimes should look to this loveable interpretation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. CS Lewis’ 1950 novel is sometimes viewed a little suspiciously, given it’s a fairly transparent allegory for the Christian origin story. But it’s [...]