HSBC set to wind down UK, European and US investment banking arms January 28, 2025 HSBC is set to wind down parts of its investment banking operations across the UK, Europe and North America as part of a sweeping global restructuring plan under new chief executive Georges Elhedery. The move comes after Europe’s biggest lender revealed plans to make $3bn (£2.4bn) of cost savings last year and reorganise into four [...]
CMA chair pledges to speed up decision-making after government backlash January 28, 2025 The new chair of the competition watchdog has pledged to speed up its decision making and bring in outside expertise as part of plans to reshape the agency following months of criticism. Doug Gurr, a former Amazon executive who was parachuted in to lead the body after ministers ousted his predecessor last week, said “lengthy [...]
Top executives back sport clubs and tech as attractive investments January 28, 2025 Over two thirds of business executives see clubs and franchises as the most attractive investment opportunity over the next half-decade, new research has revealed. Over a quarter of executives asked instead said leagues and federations were preferred while nearly one fifth favoured participation events, according to Altman Solon’s Global Sports Survey. It is a tonic [...]
Wickes: Share price jumps as recovery gets underway January 28, 2025 Wickes has reported an uptick in the revenue for the second half of the year, driven by small retail purchases and lower losses in its installation segment. The company’s share rose more than 10 per cent in early trades. Revenue at the home improvement firm rose by 1.8 per cent in the six months ending [...]
Jollyes: Pets at Home rival to lower 3,000 prices and open new stores January 28, 2025 Pet superstore chain Jollyes has revealed plans to lower thousands of prices and open new stores across the UK. The retailer, which is a major rival to Pets at Home, has also announced a range of new benefits for its employees in a bid to attract new talent. The news comes almost a year after [...]
Why Chancellor Rachel Reeves opted for the ‘jobs tax’ in the Budget January 28, 2025 The government has frantically been searching for a story to tell on the economy since the turn of the year, after the Budget was so poorly received by both businesses and households.
Security theatre makes life more miserable and no safer January 28, 2025 The accretion of metal detectors and half-arsed pat downs from security guards are making life more inconvenient for no obvious reward, says Emma Revell The first duty of the government is to ensure the safety of its people. Unfortunately, whether measured by the security of our borders or our ability to maintain law and order [...]
CMA to “brainstorm” growth ideas with business groups as pressure mounts January 27, 2025 The competition watchdog is set to be grilled by some of the UK’s biggest business bodies tomorrow as it looks to shore up confidence following the ousting of its chair by ministers last week. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which has faced anger from both the government and private sector over what has been [...]
No10: Starmer had ‘very good early engagement’ with President Trump January 27, 2025 Sir Keir Starmer has had “very good early engagement” with Donald Trump, Downing Street has said, after the leaders spoke for the first time since the US president’s inauguration. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman did not provide any updates on when Sir Keir might travel to Washington to meet the US president, or whether President [...]
Founder of UK’s favourite alcohol free beer: ‘I’m mindful of talking about alcoholism and addiction’ January 27, 2025 Lucky Saint is Britain’s favourite alcohol free beer. Its founder on how they became a success, the future of flavour in low-and-no and why he’s mindful of talking about addiction Look at it from the outside and the Lucky Saint pub in Fitzrovia looks like any other boozer, with its traditional facade and its name [...]