The apprenticeships levy is a bad policy – and not just because it’s a tax on the lowest-skilled November 29, 2015 Real apprenticeships provide skills which workers can take to other employers and obtain a wage higher than they would have earned otherwise. Historically, they were paid for by binding young employees (with legal sanctions for breaking the agreement) to work for a fixed period with very low pay, and often with an upfront payment from [...]
Morrisons in danger of falling out of FTSE 100 as blue-chip index comes up for renewal November 29, 2015 Supermarket Morrisons is in danger relegation from the FTSE 100 list of Britain’s biggest companies as the prestigious blue-chip index comes up for renewal this week. Morrisons has been hovering near the bottom of the index over the last year and narrowly avoided being kicked out in the last quarterly reshuffles in June and September. Its share price has fallen by [...]
Gold falls to a near six-year low on strong dollar and expectations for a US interest rate rise in December November 27, 2015 Gold slipped to its lowest level in nearly six years today, as it headed for its sixth straight weekly decline. The precious metal has come under pressure from a strong dollar and heightened expectations that the US Federal Reserve will raise interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade at its meeting in December. Spot [...]
Forget Black Friday bargains and Cyber Monday sales – 2015 should be all about Giving Tuesday November 26, 2015 On one particular day during last year’s Christmas shopping season a phenomenon from across the Atlantic really took hold in the UK for the first time. Businesses lined up to get involved, pounds were spent in their millions, social media went into a frenzy, and even the Prime Minister was talking about it. This year [...]
Cake maker Finsbury posts sweet performance after munching on new bakeries November 25, 2015 Celebration cake maker Finsbury Food Group reported a huge jump in revenue during its first four months of the financial year thanks to recent acquisitions of rival bakeries. The company, which supplies major baked goods as well as Peppa Pig and Disney Princess celebration cakes to retailers including Morrisons and Marks & Spencer, said sales revenue [...]
Now Lidl’s getting into the online grocery delivery business after Amazon Fresh’s UK debut and Aldi’s plans, taking on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons November 24, 2015 Fresh from Amazon's launch into the highly competitive grocery delivery game with Pantry, is fellow supermarket disrupter Lidl about to follow suit? The German discounter, which is already giving the big four a run for their money in bricks and mortar, has snapped up a fresh food delivery startup in its home country. Kochzaube, which delivers fresh [...]
Oil stocks drag down the FTSE ending its rally – London Report November 24, 2015 Traders’ concerns over miners and retailers yesterday pull down London’s main index, ending a week-long run. The FTSE 100 dropped 29.1 points to 6,305.5. Oil companies were struggled after Saudi Arabia indicated it will work to stabilise oil markets, sending the price pinballing. Producers ended lower, despite a late rally after the oil price bounced [...]
Online shoppers abandon Tesco and Asda as website traffic drops at Britain’s biggest grocers November 23, 2015 Tesco and Asda have seen a sharp drop in traffic to their websites over the last year, new research shows, in a sign that supermarkets are facing fierce competition online as well as on the shop floor. Visits to Tesco’s website through desktop computers and mobile devices dropped to 35m in November from 49m the [...]
Arsenal injuries: Midfield options further depleted as Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta injured during West Brom defeat November 21, 2015 As if a first Premier League defeat in seven games wasn't enough of a blow, Arsenal were left to rue injuries to Francis Coquelin and Mikel Arteta during a 2-1 reversal at West Bromwich Albion that leaves them short of options in midfield. During another bruising encounter with a Tony Pulis side, Joel Campbell staked [...]
Square IPO pop: Jack Dorsey’s shares soar 50pc on market debut calming tech bubble fears after low pricing November 19, 2015 Shares in US mobile payments company Square have made a spectacular debut, with shares opening at $11.20 on the New York Stock Exchange, 24 per cent above its initial pricing. They rocketed as much as 50 per cent, surpassing the $14 mark, before falling back down in afternoon trading to close at $13.16. The startup founded by [...]