Retailers hit as spending drops to its lowest level in a year, and Christmas may not be the saviour October 9, 2018 UK retail sales grew by their lowest rate for almost a year in September, new figures show. An analysis from KPMG and the British Retail Consortium found like-for-like retail sales were down 0.2 per cent, while total sales increased 0.7 per cent. This is far below the 1.3 per cent average over the past 12 [...]
Legal & General completes £2.4bn buy-out of folded telco’s pension scheme October 8, 2018 Insurer Legal & General has today finalised a £2.4bn buyout of the Nortel Networks UK Pension Plan, nearly a decade after its telecommunications sponsor collapsed, forcing it into the lifeboat. The deal will see the benefits of 15,500 pensioner members and 7,200 deferred members protected. It is the UK's joint second largest ever pensions buyout, matched [...]
Five key takeaways from the FRC’s audit sector report October 8, 2018 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the audit sector’s watchdog, released its annual Developments in Audit report yesterday, outlining key challenges faced in the sector and assessing the current state of the profession. Audit is under close scrutiny at the moment, as politicians and regulators look closely at the dominance of the Big Four audit firms Deloitte, [...]
BDO reveals profit boost as it raises concerns over Brexit and audit break-up October 8, 2018 One of Britain’s largest professional services firms has warned that business leaders need clarity to prepare for Brexit and sounded a cautious note over reforms to the audit sector as it revealed rising profit and revenues. BDO posted an underlying revenue of £464.1m in its 2017/18 annual results, released today, an increase of 8.5 per [...]
High-profile failures have eroded trust in audit sector, says watchdog October 8, 2018 The UK’s audit watchdog has announced a new strategic plan to address “falling trust in business and the effectiveness of audit”, after a series of scandals in the sector. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) released its ‘Developments in Audit’ report today, raising concerns over public trust in the profession, and constricted competition at the top [...]
Ex-HSBC chair tipped to lead Standard Life Aberdeen October 7, 2018 The ex-chair of HSBC is in the running to become board leader at the £610bn fund manager Standard Life Aberdeen, the Sunday Times reported. Sir Douglas Flint, who left HSBC in September last year after 22 years at the firm, is among two or three candidates under consideration to replace Sir Gerry Grimstone. Read more: Phoenix [...]
Moore Stephens partner says it is ready to take on FTSE audits as revenues grow for third year October 5, 2018 The managing partner of Moore Stephens, the UK’s ninth-biggest accountancy firm, has said the company is “well-positioned” to pick up FTSE-listed clients, as it announced revenue growth for the third consecutive year. The professional services firm’s UK operation posted revenue of £137.5m in the year to April, a 13 per cent rise on the year [...]
Mystery banker’s wife loses anti-corruption order appeal in victory for National Crime Agency October 3, 2018 The high-rolling wife of an anonymous banker has been defeated in her push to overturn efforts by the National Crime Agency (NCA) to make her reveal how she was able to afford properties in Britain worth £22m. A High Court judge overturned an attempt by the woman, identified as Mrs A, to block the NCA’s [...]
Head of KPMG South Africa steps down after one year, following corruption scandal October 3, 2018 KPMG South Africa said today it was searching for a new chief executive from outside the company, after its current boss stepped down after just 12 months in the role. The professional services firm has seen its reputation in the country devastated by its involvement in a series of corruption scandals, which have seen it [...]
City Moves for 2 October 2018 – who’s switching jobs at KL Communications, Barclays and CBRE? October 2, 2018 Today’s City Moves cover comms, corporate broking and property. Take a look at these movers and shakers: KL Communications KL Communications, the financial PR and communication consultancy, has hired Charles Gorman to lead its listed company practice. Charles, who joins from Neustria Partners, specialises in advising listed investment and specialty financial companies on their strategic [...]