Easing inflation helps retail footfall in August despite riots August 30, 2024 Retail footfall in the UK was boosted by good weather and easing inflation in August, despite the effect of the violent riots which erupted earlier in the month. Total UK retail footfall fell by 0.4 per cent in August year-on-year, compared to an annual drop of 3.3 per cent in July, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). It’s [...]
London hotel occupancy rates return to pre-Covid levels but services inflation fears fueled August 29, 2024 London hotels enjoyed another strong month in July as occupancy rates finally ticked back up to peak occupancy levels seen in summer 2019, but it’s not all rosy for the industry. London occupancy reached 89.3 per cent, up on 84.6 per cent last year and back to peak occupancy levels seen in July 2019. Despite [...]
Signs of ‘recovery and stability’ surface for Britain’s SMEs August 29, 2024 Signs of 'recovery and stability' for Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have surfaced amid an increase in broker optimism.
Outdoor pub smoking ban would cause ‘serious economic harm’ to UK hospitality August 29, 2024 A possible smoking ban in outdoor spaces of pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK is likely to do more harm than good, leading trade figures have warned. The ban would make it illegal to smoke in pubs, outdoor restaurants and open-air spaces in nightclubs, according to leaked documents seen by The Sun, in a [...]
Starmer can’t keep blaming everything on the Tories August 29, 2024 Starmer will soon find out that he can’t keep piously contrasting himself with the previous government while snatching benefits from pensioners, promoting party donors and paying off his pals in the trade unions, says William Atkinson The most important number for Keir Starmer’s government isn’t 411 seats he won, the £22bn black hole that Rachel [...]
Households face ‘bleak’ outlook unless Starmer kickstarts growth August 29, 2024 The improvement in living standards will also be heavily weighted towards the start of the parliament.
Funerals giant Dignity cuts loss by almost £300m after quitting London Stock Exchange August 28, 2024 Funerals giant Dignity dramatically cut its pre-tax loss by almost £300m in the year it quit the London Stock Exchange, it has been revealed. The Sutton Coldfield-headquartered group, which delisted in May last year, has reported a pre-tax loss of £42.1m for 2023 having lost £327.9m in 2022. Newly-filed documents with Companies House also show [...]
Europcar: Airport passengers help UK sales pass milestone August 28, 2024 An increase in people hiring cars at airports helped revenue at the UK arm of Europcar surpass £400m during its latest financial year. The Leicester-headquartered division has reported a revenue of £403.8m for 2023, up from the £363.5m it posted for 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show that its pre-tax profit jumped from [...]
Higher price of milk warning issued by Cravendale maker Arla Foods amid shortage August 28, 2024 Arla Foods, the maker of brands including Cravendale, Skyr and B.O.B milk, has warned that customers will face higher prices in the coming months amid a shortage of milk on a global level. The company said it “anticipates that volatile market conditions driven by geopolitical tension and uncertainty” will continue but that a positive trend [...]
Naked Wines ‘in much better shape’ despite further losses August 28, 2024 Online wine seller Naked Wines has reported a slump in profit and a higher loss despite “significant strides” made over the past few months to restructure the business. Total sales fell by 18 per cent year on year to £290m in the 52 weeks ended 1 April 2024, while the company’s statutory loss before tax widened [...]