London: Shot in the arm for West End as Uniqlo UK boss says Covent Garden is the place to be April 27, 2023 Fashion chain Uniqlo said it was committed to London after opening its second store in six months. Alessandro Dudech, chief operating officer at Uniqlo UK said the company regarded it as honour to be opening a store in Covent Garden. He said it was an area of London with “cultural and retail heritage”. He added: [...]
Oxford Street on cusp of something really ‘special’, New West End chief says April 23, 2023 Oxford Street is on the cusp of something “really special” and “exciting”, the chief of the New West End company has said, as store development and a boost in international tourism signals a return to better times for London’s most iconic shopping district. Dee Corsi, who oversees operations for the retail strip which spans from [...]
CBI exodus: Which firms have quit or suspended their relationship with the lobby group? April 21, 2023 A slew of top firms have quit or suspended engagement with the CBI today after the lobby group was rocked by new allegations of sexual abuse.
EU gas supplies in strong shape after winter of mass rationing April 20, 2023 The EU has emerged from winter with its energy supplies in robust shape, with storage levels above average and gas prices falling.
Let’s be honest, teaching everyone more maths won’t boost our economic growth April 20, 2023 Rishi Sunak wants us all to be better at maths, but ultimately it won't matter for our economic growth if we don't have the infrastructure and resources to nurture talent, writes Matthew Lesh
NDT Broadgate: £40m generated for UK economy by ‘revolutionary’ City of London arts project April 19, 2023 A piece of City of London land offered for free to 8,800 independent artists for twelve months has generated £40m in revenue for the UK economy. The NDT Broadgate initiative ran for twelve months in 2021 and 2022, providing rehearsal spaces, writing rooms, co-working areas, recording booths, studios and workshops to the creative community free [...]
Bennett on Business: The CBI must demonstrate value for money April 19, 2023 When it was founded in 1965, the Confederation of British Industry was intended to disrupt the cosy dialogue between the Wilson Government and the Trades Unions. Back then the Unions called the shots – they were invited into Number 10 to discuss industrial and economic policy, leaving assorted company leaders out in the cold. As [...]
Retail groups call for business rates reform to save Britain’s high streets April 17, 2023 Retail and hospitality groups have called for urgent reform of business rates, which are contributing to shop closures and job losses. “Retail accounts for 5 per cent of the economy but pays more than one-fifth of business rates,” Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium (BRC) chief executive, said. “The overall industry tax take is unsustainably high [...]
AO World shares soar 11 per cent as cost cutting measure help raise profit guidance April 14, 2023 Shares in AO World soared 11.33 per cent this morning as the electrical retailer revealed that it was raising its profit guidance for the fourth time since July thanks to a scheme of cost cutting measures. The Bolton-based business told investors that estimated UK revenues for the full year are expected to be £1.13bn and [...]
Ed Warner: British amateur sport must take a match to bonfire of bureaucracy April 13, 2023 Different patterns of belonging in this social media age are a stiff challenge to those of us attempting to build membership rosters for sporting bodies. What can we offer to persuade amateur athletes and casual fans to give a chunk of their identities – and a few quid from their virtual wallets – to organisations [...]