The Notebook: Less of the doom please. Business is spooked! October 9, 2024 Business optimism is plunging and no wonder. With all the doom and gloom, has Labour forgotten its mission of growth? Asks Kiki McDonough
Mike Ashley’s Frasers bets big on brick-and-mortar with 1m sq ft of new shopping malls October 8, 2024 Mike Ashley-owned Frasers group has announced the acquisition of over one million square feet of retail space across three shopping centres in a huge new bet on physical retail. The shopping centres – in Exeter, Maistone and Gloucester – have a combined annual footfall of almost 17 million visitors and 1.015 million square feet. The [...]
Oasis tickets and discounts ensure September spending doesn’t slide away October 8, 2024 Retail sales in the UK have held up despite a dip in confidence, driven by widespread discounts and a spike in entertainment spending after Oasis‘ tickets went on sale. Consumer card spending increased 1.2 per cent year on year in September, after returning to growth in August, according to data from Barclays. Discounting pushed spending [...]
Congestion charge: Ocado leads push against ‘money making’ levy October 7, 2024 More than 40 UK businesses, including Ocado, the AA, and Openreach, have urged Sadiq Khan to scrap plans to extend the £15 daily congestion charge to electric vans. The businesses argue that this hugely unpopular congestion charge if continued, would severely impact those who have invested in greener fleets. Under Transport for London (TfL)’s current [...]
Teaching unions urge government to delay private school VAT roll out October 7, 2024 Teaching unions have urged the government to delay the roll out of private schools having to pay 20 per cent VAT on fees, amid fears of job losses and a “significant burden” on HMRC. Reports emerged on Sunday that ministers were reevaluating the policy – after the Treasury initially declined to confirm it would take [...]
UK house prices rise for third straight month ahead of Budget October 7, 2024 House prices rose for the third consecutive month in September, taking the average price of a property to the highest level in more than two years. House prices increased by 0.3 per cent month on month in September, and 4.7 per cent year on year. The average property now costs £293,399 – compared to £292,540 [...]
Seedlip revolutionised alcohol free drinking. Now its founder has a new product: We tried it first October 6, 2024 Ben Branson birthed the alcohol free spirits scene when he launched Seedlip nearly ten years ago. Five years after selling his majority share, he’s ready to change the face of drinking. Again. He talks to Adam Bloodworth Through the launch of Seedlip, Ben Branson established a reputation as the founding father of the alcohol free [...]
Canon remains in the red despite capturing near-£100m sales boost October 3, 2024 The UK arm of camera and printer giant Canon failed to return to the black during its latest financial year despite sales rising by almost £100m. The Uxbridge-headquartered division reduced its pre-tax loss from £7.3m to £5.1m in 2023, newly-filed accounts with Companies House have revealed. The last time Canon UK reported a pre-tax profit [...]
Tesco ups guidance after first-half performance ‘exceeds expectations’ October 3, 2024 Supermarket giant Tesco has upped its profit guidance following another strong period of trading for the UK’s biggest grocer. Tesco increased its retail adjusted operating profit guidance to £2.9bn, from £2.8bn, after it “delivered volume growth ahead of expectations”. Continuing sales at the grocer grew 3.5 per cent in the 26 weeks ended 24 August [...]
Big Tech is muscling broadcasters out of live sports streaming October 2, 2024 Traditional broadcasters might be starting to sweat. Live sports streaming has always been a cash cow, but the game is changing, and there are new players on the field. For years, Sky and BT ruled the arena of sports media rights but, over the past decade, Big Tech has been muscling its way into the [...]