British Airways reassures travellers ahead of next week’s strike but says some Heathrow flights will be affected January 6, 2017 British Airways (BA) has assured customers proposed strike action by the Unite union will have little effect on flights. BA cabin crew announced Tuesday they would hold a 48-hour strike next week due to an ongoing dispute over "poverty pay" with the airline. The strike dates are set for January 10 and 11. After confirming flights from London [...]
10 things to look forward to in London in 2017 January 6, 2017 Forget 2016; here's what you need to look forward to in London in 2017 1. Nordic Matters Festival, Southbank Centre The Southbank Centre is planning to explore all things Nordic through 2017, with some scandi-tastic special events. Think Moomins, Lego, hygge, saunas and gastronomic treats like cinnamon buns, pickling and curing — alongside the most [...]
Important: EasyJet is trying to reunite this lost teddy bear with its owner January 6, 2017 Stop everything – there's a lost teddy bear that needs to be reunited with its owner. The bear, which has been temporarily nicknamed Shackleton, was left on an EasyJet flight and has been travelling around Europe ever since. Read more: Easyjet passenger numbers are on the up despite a tough year But aircraft captain Matthew Clutterbuck (also a [...]
Donald Trump reflation story continues to enthral investors as money market fund flows increase January 6, 2017 Investors have rushed to put money into money market funds, as they continue to back the story that inflation is going to grow under US President-elect Donald Trump. Fund flows into money market funds in the week ending 4 January grew to $31.7bn (£25.7bn), up from $16bn in the week including the Christmas holiday, according [...]
Christmas spending splurge fails to push high street sales into positive territory January 6, 2017 High street shops ended a disappointing year with a dismal performance during the festive season, failing to land positive sales despite bumper spending in the week before Christmas. Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, meaning shoppers had an extra day to spend, but like-for-like sales growth on the high street still came in at [...]
Central London bulked up on budget gyms last year with 46 per cent of new openings in the low-cost sector January 5, 2017 Londoners may want to get healthy (especially after the Christmas and New Year excess fest), but they also don't want to break the bank while they do it. Almost half (46 per cent) of the new gyms that opened in Central London last year were budget gyms, classed as having membership plans costing less than [...]
Amazon’s Alexa totally infiltrated CES this year January 5, 2017 Amid gimmicky gadgets that may never make it to the shelves (smart whistle, anyone?) Amazon's Alexa artificial intelligence voice assistant has stealthily become the stand out winner of the Consumer Electronics Show. The technology which first appeared in Amazon's own smart home speaker Echo and Echo Dot made surprise appearances almost everywhere, from fridges and cars to robots and baby monitors. [...]
After Brexit fears, Stonegate Pub Company toasts to sales growth over festive season January 5, 2017 Stonegate Pub Company today announced strong performance over the festive period despite fears of a tougher market after Brexit. The UK's leading privately owned managed pub company said total like-for-like sales grew 5.7 per cent in the four-week period from 5 December to 1 January following strong performance last year. Stonegate operates 691 drinks-led pubs and bars, including high [...]
A Lidl competition: Aldi becomes the highest-paying supermarket in the UK January 5, 2017 Aldi has given its employees a late Christmas present as it unveiled new pay rates this morning – and boasted that the new deal will make it the highest-paying employer in the supermarket sector. The supermarket is known for offering the cheapest groceries in the UK, but is now insisting it won't settle for a [...]
Three contractors just won £500m from TfL to sort out London’s roads January 5, 2017 London drivers, brace yourselves for more roadworks: Transport for London has said it has signed a £500m deal with three of the UK's largest contractors to deliver "complex, large-scale civil engineering schemes" on the capital's roads. Costain, Morgan Sindall and Skanska will spend four years working on projects to improve journey reliability, encourage cycling and [...]