England’s Six Nations campaign leaves Eddie Jones with a number of selection headaches March 20, 2019 England’s runner-up finish at the Six Nations may not spell disaster but, having beaten Ireland in their opening game, losing to Wales and sacrificing a 31-0 lead at home to Scotland have left Eddie Jones with more questions than answers just six months before the World Cup. What had looked like a marked improvement in [...]
Stop overlooking small businesses – they can be a massive force for good March 18, 2019 Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) make up 99 per cent of companies, and employ 60 per cent of private sector workers in the UK. And yet, they are often overlooked when we talk about responsible business. When SMEs take action on responsible business, they make a huge difference to London’s communities, to our environment, to [...]
Ollie Phillips: Ireland will find their form and help England to Six Nations victory this weekend March 14, 2019 The Six Nations builds up to its crescendo this weekend and all the indications are that it will be an intriguing one. With three sides still able to win the tournament there’s no problem with dead rubbers, although Wales against Ireland is the match which will shape the outcome. England’s hopes of winning the trophy [...]
Capita takes on Brexit work as outsourcer kicks on with ‘radical’ turnaround plan March 14, 2019 Outsourcing giant Capita has admitted it is helping pick up some of the government’s slack in preparing for Brexit, as Whitehall continues scrambling to put contingency plans in place for a possible no-deal scenario. The outsourcer, which specialises in digital and IT-related services, has taken on several contracts, as the 29 March leaving date looms ever [...]
Capita slashes net debt and profit as outsourcer kicks on with ‘radical’ turnaround plan March 14, 2019 Outsourcer Capita’s revenues were down more than £300m last year, as turnaround specialist CEO Jonathan Lewis worked to nullify the “existential threat” facing the firm when he took over in late 2017. Lewis told City A.M. he has taken “radical, decisive action” to simplify the firm, which saw profits fall more than one-quarter but still [...]
City Moves for 5 March 2019 – Who’s switching jobs at Co-op, Deloitte and Hunters? March 5, 2019 Today's City Moves cover the Co-op Group, Deloitte and Hunters. Take a look at these movers and shakers. Co-op Group Central England Co-op has welcomed its new chief executive Debbie Robinson on her first day with the society. Debbie was appointed in November last year and will oversee one of the largest independent retail co-operative [...]
Sterling climbs as markets welcome parliament’s vote on possible Brexit delay February 27, 2019 Sterling soared against the euro and dollar today as markets welcomed the possibility that Brexit could be delayed. The pound rose 0.5 per cent to an eight-month high against the dollar of $1.331. Read more: Tory MP leaves government after Brexit amendment to protect EU citizens It did even better against the euro, bubbling up [...]
Marks & Spencer investors suffer dividend blow as retailer nets food delivery service in £750m Ocado venture February 27, 2019 Shareholders hammered Marks & Spencer’s shares this morning as it became clear the retailer plans to hit up investors to fund a £750m food delivery venture with Ocado. M&S’s stock dropped 9.2 per cent to 303p as it confirmed plans to raise £600m through a rights issue as well as knocking down shareholders’ dividend. The [...]
Marks & Spencer and Ocado confirm talks over joint retail venture February 26, 2019 Marks & Spencer and Ocado have confirmed they are “in discussions” around a £1.8bn joint venture. Read more: Ocado to develop 20 new warehouses in first stage of US deal with Kroger The tie-up would see M&S pay Ocado between £800m and £900m for a 50 per cent stake in the food delivery service, according [...]
The UK’s best and worst supermarkets: How did Sainsbury’s, Asda, Aldi and Lidl do? February 22, 2019 The big four supermarket chains have lost ground to budget rivals in a survey of shopper satisfaction, as customers grow increasingly dissatisfied with the the quality of in-house labels. Read more: Watchdog may block Sainsbury's-Asda merger Aldi and Lidl outperformed the big four with customer satisfaction scores of 68 and 66 per cent respectively, according to [...]