Cycling firm Velusso offers premium biking trips in the Balearics. We geared up to take them for a spin January 20, 2017 Cycling holiday firm Velusso has grand designs on satisfying the needs of City cycling enthusiasts. Its aim: to combine a luxurious break with a darn good workout while providing snippets of what it’s like to be a member of the Olympic cycling team. The post-London Olympic cycling boom led to increasing numbers of cycling holiday [...]
Opec output cuts are in a “probation period” as the market tightens, IEA says January 19, 2017 Demand for oil is rising while investors await news of whether Opec's agreed production cuts will take shape, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. A report today by the IEA said the cuts agreed on by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and 11 non-Opec producers are in a "probation period" as the market tightens. Opec said it would cut oil [...]
Lloyds Banking Group takes the top spot on Stonewall’s top 100 LGBT employers as banking and legal dominate the list January 19, 2017 Lloyds Banking Group has taken the top spot of Stonewall's top 100 LGBT employers list. Banking and legal dominated the list of the charity's most inclusive employers. Lloyds, which came second to MI5 last year, launched a new colleague volunteering programme and formed official partnership with lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) charities. Law firm [...]
Saga picks KPMG as its new auditor, replacing EY after a 10-year relationship January 17, 2017 Saga has ditched Ernst & Young (EY) as auditors in favour of KPMG, the company announced this morning. EY has been the FTSE 250 firm's group auditor since September 2014, having previously been appointed auditor across the Saga's principal trading subsidiaries in 2007. Read more: Over 50 per cent growth to Saga profits Under audit directives, listed [...]
UK retail scores “solid yet unspectacular” end to 2016 January 10, 2017 Retailers are bracing themselves for a possible slowdown in consumer spending this year, but the sector ended 2016 in (relatively) good health, thanks to a strong performance on Christmas week. Like-for-like sales in UK retail increased one per cent year-on-year in December 2016, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG, improving from a [...]
KPMG and BDO among group of consultants set to publish New Year’s resolutions January 9, 2017 By this point in January, many are already lamenting their failed efforts to stick to their New Year's diet, hit the gym every morning or stay away from the sauce. Not to be deterred, City A.M. has learnt a group of well-known names in consultancy are set to publicly pledge their resolutions for the new year [...]
Productivity puzzle remains for economists despite UK growth in third quarter of 2016 January 6, 2017 The UK is still struggling to increase the amount it increases per worker as economists wrestle with a continued “productivity puzzle”, new official data shows. Labour productivity, measured by the amount the UK produced per hour, grew by only 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2016, representing a flat rate of growth, according [...]
The UK boosted its productivity potential last year, but Brexit could push it back down again January 5, 2017 The UK's comparative potential for productivity grew last year, but a bad Brexit deal could see it slip back down the rankings, research released today has found. The country crept up from 14th to 13th place in KPMG's Variables for Sustained Growth (VSG) Index, which rates the productivity potential in different countries. The final VSG score [...]
The 9 best paying companies in the UK for directors January 5, 2017 Recruitment website Glassdoor has ranked British companies based on how much they pay directors — senior staff who generally take care of a particular area of a company. The site, which lets staff anonymously submit company reviews and salary information, used data compiled over the past three years to produce its list. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the [...]
The 10 companies where directors earn the highest salaries January 3, 2017 Thinking of climbing the career ladder in 2017? C'mon, who isn't, let's be honest. It's a new year bringing new opportunity, after all. But if you're looking to make the leap to director level, or are eyeing a change of scenery at that level already, some moves are worth making more than others – when [...]