Hiring conditions improved following the Conservative election victory January 10, 2020 Hiring conditions in the UK job market improved following the Conservative victory in the General Election, a report published today showed. Permanent staff appointments rose for the first time in a year, while temp billings growth picked up from November, the survey from KPMG and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) found. According to some [...]
Game calls for ‘realistic’ rents as it closes 40 stores across the UK January 9, 2020 Game today urged its landlords to set “realistic” rents as the retailer confirmed it will close 40 stores across the country. The video game chain, which is owned by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct, had already served notice to 13 sites, including Watford, Canterbury and Leicester. Read more: Sports Direct set for Game Digital takeover after [...]
‘Worst year on record’ for retailers in 2019 January 9, 2020 Last year was the worst 12 months on record for UK retailers, as overall annual sales dipped for the first time since 1995, according to the latest data. Total sales in 2019 fell 0.1 per cent, marking the worst year for retailers since records began 25 years ago, due to a year of political uncertainty [...]
Kick off the decade with a plan for ending the misery of the daily commute January 7, 2020 It’s the start of the year, and you may have already had to suffer through a cancelled train, a packed carriage, or a traffic jam that’s cost you a meeting. Not the best way to kick off a new decade. Among those returning to their offices today are the newly appointed members of the government, [...]
Facebook’s transfer of EU citizen data to US legal, says EU court adviser December 19, 2019 Tools used by hundreds of thousands of companies to transfer EU citizens’ data abroad are legal, an adviser to Europe’s top court has ruled, marking a major win for Facebook in a long-running court case. Austrian privacy campaigner and lawyer Max Schrems had challenged Facebook over its use of standard contractual clauses to move electronic [...]
Brydon review finds UK audit industry in need of ‘urgent reform’ December 18, 2019 The UK’s audit industry is in need of “urgent reform”, according to the findings of a year-long review into the sector. The review, which was led by Sir Donald Brydon, a former chair of the London Stock Exchange Group, calls for the creation of “a standalone and transparent audit profession” split off from the accounting [...]
Will the Bank of England cut interest rates? December 18, 2019 UK inflation data came out today, leaving economists to ponder whether the Bank of England would consider cutting or raising interest rates before the end of 2019 or even early into 2020. The Consumer Prices Index stood at 1.5 per cent in November, flat on October and half a per cent below the Bank of [...]
Charity begins at work: How Payroll Giving can create a giving culture in your company December 17, 2019 If you’re looking for a quick corporate social responsibility boost and develop a giving culture in your organisation, Payroll Giving could be the answer. Company values have never been more important According to KPMG International, more than 60 per cent of millennials expect their employers to contribute to a social cause. With around 12m millennials [...]
Department store chain Beales hoists for sale sign December 17, 2019 Department store chain Beales has put itself up for sale in a bid to secure a sustainable future for the company in a challenging retail environment. The Bournemouth-based company has appointed KPMG to conduct a strategic review of the firm, including assessing a potential sale. Read more: Debenhams strengthens board as department store implements rescue [...]
Prince Andrew’s Pitch@Palace scheme loses third director December 12, 2019 Prince Andrew’s embattled Pitch@Palace initiative suffered another blow as a third director resigned from the company. German-born David Stern, a private investor, is listed as having quit both Pitch@Palace and its international sister, Pitch@Palace Global, on 9 December. Read more: Prince Andrew steps down from Pitch@Palace role On 19 November fellow directors Hanadi Jabado and [...]