Soaring inflation forces Brits to tighten belts on groceries as summer clothes, DIY and fuel sales pick up June 23, 2023 Brits are still splashing the cash amid soaring inflation, with retail sales estimated to have increased by 0.3 per cent last month off the back of non-food splurging. The main driver of sales was online, with non-store selling volumes up by 2.3 per cent, while food store sales were down by half of one per [...]
It was do or die for Andrew Bailey and the Bank of England – in the end, there was no choice June 23, 2023 When it came down to it, there was no choice. Inflation stuck at just below nine per cent. Unforgiving buried price pressures. Businesses rebuilding profits. Workers with no choice but to demand more money. These are the characteristics of an economy stuck in stagflation. The Bank of England had to take drastic measures. Yesterday’s interest [...]
Inside the National Portrait Gallery’s smart £41million refurbishment June 22, 2023 Finally, there’s a proper entrance! The National Portrait Gallery, closed for refurbishments since 2020, reopened this week. £35 million in investment has bought it a smart new look, and a genuine push for diversity. There are new galleries and social spaces, but first, the doors. The Portrait Gallery’s pokey side-door entrance on Charing Cross Road [...]
Housing market reeling after BoE hike interest rates in fresh blow for mortgage holders June 22, 2023 Prospective buyers and homeowners looking to reinstate fixed rate or tracker deals on their homes were met with a fresh blow this afternoon following the central bank’s decision to hike interest rates for the 13th time in a row in efforts to cool soaring inflation. It is expected that the decision will lead high street [...]
Oliver Stone on Putin, nuclear power and feeling like an outsider June 22, 2023 As we sit down to start our interview, Oliver Stone makes a point of putting his own dictaphone on the table to record our conversation. “To protect ourselves,” he says, before going on to speak non-stop for 45 minutes with absolutely no filter, on virtually any topic I raise, and quite a few I don’t. [...]
FTSE 100 close: Bank of England interest hike piles more pain on markets June 22, 2023 The much scrutinised Bank of England’s interest rate hike by half a point to five percentage points today, piled the pressure on London markets. London opened far lower in anticipation of the rate hike and continued in the red following the announcement, which marked the 13th straight rise from the bank and took interest rates [...]
Labour’s plan to force banks to help on mortgages branded ‘risky’ and ‘counterproductive’ June 22, 2023 Labour’s plans to force banks to help struggling borrowers with their mortgages have been slammed as “risky” and “counterproductive”. The party says lenders should be compelled to help mortgage holders struggling with payments in a bid to avert a looming mortgage crisis as interest rates are expected to keep rising to bring inflation down. Shadow [...]
Wagamama owner waves goodbye to CFO as part of top team shake up June 21, 2023 Wagamama’s owner The Restaurant Group (TRG) is waving goodbye to its chief financial officer, Kirk Davis, as part of a shake up of its top team. The hospitality group, which also owns high street eateries such as Frankie & Bennys, said that Davis will step down after the publication of its interim results in September [...]
Peloton: Wheels come off for bike maker as UK losses widen to £210m June 20, 2023 Peloton’s UK arm has struggled to keep up the momentum of its pandemic success, with the group posting widening losses as sales of the luxury exercise bike fall significantly from their lockdown peak. In its most recent financial results in the year to June 2022, the American brand’s British division said sales contracted 13 per [...]
FTSE 100 close: Interest rate concerns linger as NatWest heads lower June 20, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 struggled for gains today as investors took a cautious approach before the Bank of England’s expected 13th straight interest rate rise on Thursday. The capital’s premier index shed 0.25 per cent to close at 7,569.30 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the [...]