PRA under pressure to cut red tape as growth plans fail to excite the City January 22, 2025 The banking regulator is under pressure to go further and faster in its efforts to cut red tape from the City after it outlined plans to boost the growth of firms within its remit last week. In a letter to the Prime Minister and Chancellor, the PRA, which sits within the Bank of England and [...]
JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin calls on Starmer to reduce pub taxes January 22, 2025 Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin has once again called on the government and Keir Starmer to reduce the tax gap between supermarkets and pubs in his company’s latest trading update. Martin said following the government’s decision to hike the national minimum wage, business rates and employers’ national insurance, costs at Wetherspoon will increase by around £60m [...]
London commuter towns named ‘financial resilience capitals’ of the UK January 22, 2025 From pension plans to retirement savings, new data has revealed the 'financial resilience capitals' of the UK.
Lee can bring Home the Stayers’ Hurdle bacon January 21, 2025 BACKING the winner of the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is almost always a tough ask, but I think I’ve found a bet in the race seven weeks out. Defending champion Teahupoo is undoubtedly the worthy favourite to retain his crown after he comfortably won the race 12 months ago, and he sits at [...]
UK economy: Compulsory liquidations hit 10-year high January 21, 2025 Figures released from the Insolvency Service showed that there were 3,320 compulsory liquidations in 2024, the highest number for 10 years.
Knoops on track to almost double sales after festive cheer January 21, 2025 Drinking chocolate chain Knoops expects to almost double its revenue by the end of its current financial year as it reported record Christmas trading results. The London-headquartered company has also confirmed the appointment of Lush co-founder Andrew Gerrie, who is also a former chairman of Hotel Chocolat, to its board as a non-executive director. Gerrie [...]
Pub chain Marston’s toasts record festive sales boost January 21, 2025 Pub chain Marston’s has reported a “solid” festive quarter and record sales on Christmas day in another good sign for the hospitality sector. Total retail sales in the 16 weeks to January 18 were up three per cent, driven by growth in both food and drink sales, Marston’s said. Like-for-like sales during the same period [...]
Mr Kipling mince pies deliver biggest-ever quarter for Premier Foods January 21, 2025 Mr Kipling remains the star seller for owner Premier Foods in both the UK and Australia, with mince pies and Brownie Bites more than doubling sales over Christmas. Premier Foods subsequently said it expected profit to be at the upper end of expectations – £180.1m to £186.4m – this year. Its share price rose by [...]
How can UK businesses prepare for Trump? Remember how he thinks January 21, 2025 The best approach to dealing with Trump? Resist the hysteria and remember how the President thinks, writes Michael Martins.
Can Elon Musk really sway UK politics? January 20, 2025 Elon Musk has been loud and proud about his intentions to influence UK politics. But will it actually work, asks Bill Sedat Frater.