Findel share price soars as Sports Direct takes 19pc chunk of Kitbag parent September 29, 2015 Sports Direct has taken an 18.9 per cent stake in Kitbag parent company Findel, almost a year after Mike Ashley first started eyeing up the football strip retailer. The move comes as Findel confirmed it had received an approach for the sports retail business from an unnamed third party and had “agreed terms, subject [...]
Crossrail 2 could add £100bn to the UK economy September 28, 2015 The second leg of Crossrail could add billions of pounds to the UK economy and bring thousands of new jobs and homes to London and the south east, a new report claims. The benefits of Crossrail 2, which will run through London, Surrey and Hertfordshire could be as high as £102bn, according to new estimates [...]
City Moves for 28 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 27, 2015 BLACKROCK PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT The professional services firm has announced the appointment of Tim Trotter as chairman. For the last eight years he has served as chairman of advisory business Glenfern. Prior to that, Trotter founded Ludgate Group, where he was chief executive and chairman. SEDDONS The law firm has announced the promotion of Simon Noonoo [...]
Rail adds £10.1 bn to UK economy September 21, 2015 Britian’s rail industry is adding up to £10.1bn a year to the national economy, according to a new report. Economists at Oxera Consulting carried out the research on behalf of the Rail Delivery Group, an industry lobby group representing train operators. The economists found that rail boosts economic productivity by up to £11.3bn each year [...]
City Moves for 16 September 2015 | Who’s switching jobs September 15, 2015 BARCLAYS Ian Gilmartin has been appointed head of retail and wholesale for Barclays’s corporate bank. He has over 20 years’ experience and has spent the past five years as part of the leadership in Barclays’ retail and wholesale team. Gilmartin has also held roles at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Allied Irish Banks. DELOITTE The business [...]
Minister slams Corbyn’s public railway promise September 13, 2015 THE GOVERNMENT is using new data out today on the rail industry to take issue with the newly-elected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn has argued for renationalising the railways, saying that returning the train system to public ownership would lead to lower fares and better services. But a new report out today from the Rail [...]
UK wage growth slows as unemployment rises again September 9, 2015 Sterling fell to a one month low against the euro after data showed Britain's bumper wage growth has slowed, as unemployment rose again. Annual average weekly wages, including bonuses, rose 2.4 per cent in the three months to June, according to data released today by the Office for National Statistics. That's down from the 3.2 per [...]
Retailers blame late bank hols for drop in sales September 8, 2015 BRITISH retailers suffered a sharp drop in sales last month after the later timing of the August Bank Holiday distorted trading figures, according to figures out today. Retail sales fell by one per cent on a like-for-like basis from August 2014, when they had increased 1.3 per cent on the preceding year. On a total [...]
Small firms less upbeat as skills gap gets wider September 6, 2015 The supply of skilled workers available for London firms to hire is plunging at its fastest rate for 18 years. The skills shortage adds to the headache of small businesses, which have had a worrisome summer after the introduction of a national living wage and higher dividend taxes. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) barometer [...]
Bank to announce rates decision as China woes weigh – London Report September 6, 2015 THE BANK of England will be centre of attention on Thursday when it provides a simultaneous release of its monetary policy decision and minutes from its monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting. The MPC is almost certain to keep interest rates unchanged at 0.5 per cent, with worries about China and oil price declines meaning other [...]