Pound sterling slumps to $1.24 in the face of dominant dollar January 2, 2025 Sterling's sell-off was accentuated by data out from the US, which showed a smaller increase in the number of jobless claimants than had been anticipated.
Sport in 2025: A rallying cry to London, Mayor Khan and Londoners January 2, 2025 For at least the past five years it has felt as if London was disappearing off the global sporting stage. The capital may boast the Home of Cricket, 17 professional football clubs and five stadiums with a capacity of over 50,000 but huge sporting events have sought refuge in the likes of Saudi Arabia, the [...]
British Airways succeeds Jaguar in public spotlight after rewards changes January 2, 2025 British Airways has become the latest household name to incur the wrath of a high-profile public backlash in the wake of its decision to significantly change its rewards scheme for loyal customers. The airline revealed earlier this week that it was changing its tiering system for rewards to be based on spend and upped how [...]
Record profit for Totally Wicked ahead of single-use vapes ban as sales double in two years January 2, 2025 Profit at Totally Wicked has surged to a new record level ahead of the sale of single-use disposable vapes being banned in England and Wales later this year. The Lancashire-headquartered has reported a pre-tax profit of £8.1m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2024, up from the £3.3m it posted for the prior year. [...]
Where did UK house prices rise fastest in 2024? January 2, 2025 Nationwide's house price index showed that house prices rose 4.7 per cent over the year-to-December. Across 2023 house prices fell 1.8 per cent, according to the building society.
Thames Water to avoid state bailout, the FTSE 100 at 7900 and an ITV bid: my predictions for UK plc in 2025 January 2, 2025 Predictions may generally be a mug’s game, but looking back at my forecasts for the business world in 2024, I seem to have fared better than usual. Klarna, the buy now pay later giant, opted for a New York listing; Dame Alison Rose made a comeback in a senior private equity role; Unilever announced that [...]
Battle for IOC presidency needs rigorous candidate tests January 2, 2025 The position of president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) isn’t quite the leadership of the free world, but is arguably more influential on the global stage than the heads of many nations, both free and not-so-free. It comes with far fewer constraints on the post-holder’s power too. Little wonder that seven sporting presidents, vice-presidents, [...]
The new meeting etiquette: to bot or not? January 2, 2025 The dos and don’t of using AI in meetings while safeguarding your business’ culture and values, according to Amale Ghalbouni Artificial Intelligence has woven itself into the very fabric of every modern business. And while AI has found a natural home in places where productivity is of the essence, meetings and workshops remain a place [...]
Springboks enter long-term deal with British rugby brand Rhino January 1, 2025 The South Africa rugby Springboks have a seven-year deal with ball supplier Rhino in a major boost to the British-founded brand. The deal will see the world champions use Rhino balls for their home Test matches while the agreement stretches to the women’s international team, and the Currie Cup. Rian Oberholzer, chief executive of SA [...]
Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the US are the countries to watch in sport in 2025 January 1, 2025 Professor Simon Chadwick explains why Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the United States are his three countries to watch in sport in 2025. With the global sport industry apparently set to continue on its growth trajectory in 2025, albeit in the context of uncertain geopolitical times, many countries across the world will find themselves jockeying for [...]