Brexit deal live: UK would vote to remain in EU in a second referendum January 17, 2019 Hello and welcome to our Brexit vote live blog. Stay tuned for reaction to Labour's no confidence vote yesterday, after Theresa May's Brexit deal slumped to a historic defeat in parliament on Tuesday night. Please manually refresh this page for the latest updates What you need to know: The Prime Minister’s deal was defeated by [...]
Premier Foods logistics issues take a slice out of third quarter revenues January 17, 2019 Mr Kipling maker Premier Foods saw sales fall in the third quarter after logistics problems ate into revenues. The food manufacturer, which also makes Bisto and Oxo cubes, said sales fell 2.2 per cent to £256m in the 13 weeks to 29 December. Read more: Tesco and M&S reveal stockpiling amid concerns of a 'no deal' [...]
November rise in first-time buyers getting on the housing ladder January 17, 2019 First-Time buyers bolstered the UK mortgage market in November, as competitive deals and schemes such as Help to Buy boosted the number of young homeowners in the run-up to Christmas. There were 36,200 new first-time buyer mortgages completed in November, rising 5.8 per cent from the same month in the previous year, according to UK [...]
Game Digital shares boosted by positive Christmas trading in Spain while UK sales fall January 17, 2019 Video game retailer Game Digital’s shares shot up this morning as it announced a two per cent sales boost over the Christmas period, despite a drop in the UK market. The company said despite a “challenging retail climate” causing group sales to dip 0.5 per cent over the festive weeks from Black Friday to 5 [...]
Primark sales sweeten the pill as retailer outperforms Christmas gloom January 17, 2019 Primark today reported a rise in revenues over the festive period as store expansion outweighed a fall in like-for-like sales. The fashion retailer saw UK sales rise one per cent on last year in the 16 weeks to 5 January, defying a downturn in the wider retail market. Read more: Retail sector suffers worst Christmas in [...]
London housing market faces negative outlook for start of 2019, warn surveyors January 17, 2019 Fresh fears for the future of London’s subdued property market were brought to light this morning, with forecasts for growth in the capital hitting their lowest levels in two decades. As uncertainty bites both buyers and sellers, a record number of surveyors are predicting that activity in the capital will remain negative over the next [...]
Berkeley Group chairman Tony Pidgley on Brexit, buildings and bonus backlashes January 16, 2019 Tony Pidgley is a staunch defender of his trade, as you would expect Britain’s best-known housebuilder to be. So it comes as something of a surprise when, asked about the huge row that hit his sector last year when fellow housing boss Jeff Fairburn took a £75m bonus, he does not come down on Fairburn’s [...]
Beyond the Westminster bubble, there’s more to politics than Brexit infighting January 16, 2019 “Chaotic useless bickering rudderless floundering humiliated Tories slump to six-point lead over Labour”, tweeted one of the parliamentary lobby’s wittiest members, Matt Chorley, in response to the latest YouGov poll on Monday. Theresa May’s consistent lead over Jeremy Corbyn is one of her key sources of strength as she goes through this turbulent time. Not only [...]
City Pub Group toasts sales rise as it splashes out on new sites January 16, 2019 Pub owner City Pub Group today reported a rise in sales after strong Christmas trading and a spate of acquisitions. The pub chain saw a 1.6 per cent boost in like-for-like sales in the 52 weeks to the end of December, while turnover soared 22 per cent on the year before to £45.6m. Read more: Magic [...]
Consumer spending feels the pinch amid Brexit uncertainty January 16, 2019 Enduring political uncertainty was to blame for weak consumer spending over Christmas, according to figures released today. Consumer spending fell by one per cent in December compared to the same month in 2017, research from Visa and IHS Markit reveals, its biggest monthly drop since April. Read more: UK car sales decline for the second [...]