VR headsets and sliders kick DVDs and turkey out of inflation basket March 18, 2025 VR headsets, yoga mats and sliders have been added to the inflation basket of goods as DVD rentals and minced turkey have been knocked off. The items included in the consumer price inflation (CPI) basket of goods and services, which is compiled by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), are designed to reflect Britons’ typical [...]
Wetherspoons set for profit spike as it braces for Budget tax hit March 16, 2025 JD Wetherspoon is expected to reveal soaring sales this week, as experts tip the pub group to seize more market share from smaller competitors amid tax rises coming in April. The London-listed firm, which has around 800 pubs across the UK, is set to report its half-year results on 21 March. In a January trading [...]
The four factors set to raise inflation this year March 7, 2025 Inflation will briefly hit 3.6 per cent this year and “remain well above” the Bank of England’s target until late 2026, according to Oxford Economics. In a report led by UK economist Edward Allenby outlined the four key drivers of inflation in the upcoming year. Changes in the Budget Allenby highlighted the VAT slapped onto [...]
Rate-setter calls on Bank of England to adopt ‘activist’ approach to rates March 6, 2025 The Bank of England should adopt a more activist approach to setting interest rates in order to deal with the “substantial volatility” affecting geopolitics and financial markets, a rate-setter has said. Catherine Mann, an external member of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), argued that rate-setters should be more willing to vote for more radical [...]
Could inheritance tax make chips an expensive luxury? March 6, 2025 Inheritance tax for farmers is often framed as an issue for landowners but if it leads to a loss of potato-growing land this could trigger sharp increases in the price of chips, says Sarah Jordan Could chips become the new caviar? It sounds absurd, but looming changes to inheritance tax (IHT) for farmers could transform [...]
Poland: The workers’ paradise overthrown by workers March 6, 2025 Poland was one of the poorest countries in Europe, but since an uprising that overthrew socialism it is now set to become richer than the UK, says Rainer Zitelmann In recent years, I have visited Poland more frequently than any other European country, and I am always amazed by the country’s remarkable economic development and [...]
Brits spent almost £1bn this Valentines Day March 5, 2025 Brits spent almost £1bn on flowers, gifts, and at-home meals this Valentine’s Day as shoppers sought to create a special occasion at home rather than splashing out at a restaurant. According to the latest NIQ Till Tracker, £962m was spent on food and gifting on Valentine’s Day, with the biggest growth in spending on flowers, [...]
Supermarket sales rise, but Asda continues to struggle March 4, 2025 Sales at UK supermarkets rose above inflation in February as Brits looked for cost-effective ways to treat themselves. Take-home sales at the grocers rose by 3.6 per cent over the four weeks to 23 February, while prices rose 3.3 per cent, according to Kantar. However, the headline figure masked a gulf between the performance of [...]
Will western brands return to pariah state Russia? March 4, 2025 It was the sight that heralded a new geopolitical era. Hundreds of Russian punters standing in a disorderly queue and braving the bitter Moscow air to sample their first bite of the latest big import from America. The iron curtain – having been chipped away slowly for years – had fully fallen just two months [...]
Lower retail prices drive shops into deflation March 4, 2025 Prices in UK shops continued to fall in February, as discounting in retail offset high grocery prices. Shop prices fell by 0.7 per cent year on year in February against a decline of 0.7 per cent in January, driven by a 2.1 per cent drop in retail prices. “Discounting is still widespread in fashion as [...]