Asda launches new and larger value range and kills off Smart Price in race to kickstart stalling growth March 29, 2022 Supermarket giant Asda, which was bought by the Issa brothers and backers TDR Capital last year, said this afternoon it will axe its Smart Price range and replace it with new Just Essentials by Asda products. In fact, Asda is launching a new and larger value range, amid the cost of living crisis, as the [...]
Exclusive: Support scheme for SMEs post-Covid has hit just 1 per cent of its target March 29, 2022 Rishi Sunak’s scheme to boost the productivity of British small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) post-Covid has hit just one per cent of its target since it was launched last July. The government wants 30,000 businesses to complete the Help To Grow management scheme – which offers subsidised business training – however just 402 SMEs have [...]
Russia-Ukraine war has made it nearly impossible for BoE to forecast UK economy, warns governor Bailey March 28, 2022 Uncertainty about how the Russia-Ukraine war will develop has made it nearly impossible for the Bank of England to chart the trajectory of the UK economy, the Bank’s governor warned today. A lack of information on the Kremlin’s next moves in their assault on Ukraine has made it harder to forecast the direction of the [...]
Sunak repeats tax cuts pledge despite playing down low-tax Chancellor image March 28, 2022 Rishi Sunak today reiterated his commitment to cutting taxes in the future, despite playing down claims he has styled himself as a low-tax Chancellor. Responding to a grilling by MPs on the cross-party Treasury Select Committee, Sunak said his “priority at this point forward is to keep cutting taxes, not to increase public spending”. However, [...]
As supermarkets keep costs low, farming bears the brunt of inflation in the middle March 28, 2022 The British farming industry is facing a tumultuous future. The impact of high inflation coupled with the reverberations of the war in Ukraine has left farmers high and dry without access to crucial products. What insiders have termed an “unprecedented crisis” could cause radical change in the British farming sector – an opportunity for some, [...]
Sunak gives with one hand and takes with another to paint a positive veneer March 28, 2022 LAST week’s spring statement—the chancellor’s mini-budget, and a significant opportunity to lay out priorities and plans—was a big event for Rishi Sunak. While Covid cases persist and people are still dying, there is a broader feeling that the pandemic is now under control, and that the country can now think about moving into a post-virus [...]
Shrinkflation: Cadbury reduces size of Dairy Milk bars as inflation pressures hit March 28, 2022 Cadbury has downsized the size of its Dairy Milk sharing bar as it feels the bite of rising costs. Parent company Mondelez said it was shrinking the size of the bars by 10 per cent as it faces inflationary pressures. The chocolate bar will be reduced from 200g to 180g, but still sold at £2. [...]
Brits’ inflation expectations scale to record high March 28, 2022 Britons’ expectations of where inflation will land in a decade has climbed to the highest level ever, reveals a closely watched survey published today. Households think the rate of price rises will still be more than double the Bank of England’s two per cent target in 10 years’ time, running at 4.4 per cent, according [...]
Sir Iain Duncan Smith: ‘Sub-crisis’ emerging as loan sharks capitalise on rising cost of living March 28, 2022 With more than 1m Brits in debt to predatory illegal lenders, a “sub-crisis” may emerge as soaring costs of living heap added pressure on those with fragile finances. Former Conservative leader and ex minister at the Department for Work and Pensions, Sir Iain Duncan Smith has been campaigning. But not for an election. The veteran [...]
Ted Baker turns down Sycamore’s £250m takeover bid March 28, 2022 Fashion chain Ted Baker has rejected a £250m takeover bid from New York based private equity firm Sycamore. The US firm had tabled a £250m offer for the chain last week, it was reported by Sky News at the weekend. The London-listed retailer confirmed it had rejected two non-binding proposals from Sycamore regarding a possible [...]