New Look closes all stores in the Republic of Ireland February 21, 2025 High street fashion giant New Look will fully exit the Republic of Ireland, putting all of its workers in the country at risk of redundancy. The retailer’s Irish arm, which employs about 347 people, has entered into redundancy following years of losses at the high street chain. The privately-owned company said it has had to [...]
LIV: Trump, Yasir Al-Rumayyan and Tiger Woods meet in White House February 21, 2025 President Trump, Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met at the White House on Thursday with a new deal with LIV Golf edging closer. The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf have been in discussions surrounding a potential mega-merger which would unite golf as one global sports [...]
Consumer confidence rises in February but cost-of-living crisis ‘far from over’ February 21, 2025 Brits’ confidence rose in February, fueled by better personal finances and a brighter outlook on the general economy. However, confidence remained down on last year. GfK’s index measuring changes in personal finances during the last year rose three points to -7, seven points better than February 2024. The major purchase Index rose three points to [...]
How can England beat Scotland in the Calcutta Cup? February 21, 2025 It may not be a fixture famed for deciding Rugby World Cups, nor a major intra-hemisphere clash, but the Calcutta Cup game between England and Scotland is, and will always be, a date for the diary. It’s the oldest international match in the world, dating back to the 1870s, and a real grudge fixture between [...]
Green shoots? UK retail sales beat expectations in January February 21, 2025 Brits returned to the shops in January as discount spending fueled the first monthly rise in retail sales volumes since last August. Retail sales volumes rose 1.7 per cent in January, following a fall of 0.6 per cent in December, according to the ONS. Analysts had expected growth of just 0.3 per cent. This was [...]
Pressure on Rachel Reeves grows as tax receipts disappoint February 21, 2025 Tax receipts rose at a slower pace than expected in January, new figures show, in a sign that the poor performance of the economy could have damaging fiscal consequences. According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the government recorded a monthly surplus of £15.4bn, meaning it received more in taxes than it [...]
Labour must remember investors when reforming leasehold February 21, 2025 Given that many properties are directly or indirectly owned by pension funds, getting leasehold reform wrong risks destabilising the property markets, transferring value to foreign investors and undermining the UK’s attractiveness, says Natalie Chambers The government’s rhetoric on harnessing institutional capital as a driver for economic growth is welcome. In the coming months, the government [...]
Rachel Reeves urges financial services to back emerging markets February 20, 2025 Rachel Reeves has met with top financial services firms to urge them to work with development institutions and within “emerging markets”. The Chancellor met with firms including Aviva, HSBC and Schroders in Canary Wharf today, as she called on industry leaders to seize on growth opportunities and shore up London as a leader in development [...]
Standard Chartered shares hit ten-year high ahead of results February 20, 2025 Shares in Standard Chartered climbed to a ten-year high as the bank geared up to post its annual results on Friday. City analysts have pencilled in a full-year profit before tax of $6.2bn (£4.9bn), with the bank expected to pocket $983m (£780m) in the fourth quarter, down on the $1.1bn (£872m) posted in the fourth [...]
US hedge fund shorts British firms despite aim to ‘save’ UK market February 20, 2025 Activist investor Saba Capital has taken short positions against some key UK companies, including beloved Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury, despite previously claiming to be the “white knight of the UK market”. The American hedge fund has taken out a 0.95 per cent short position against the £537m publisher, or a roughly £5.1m bet against it. [...]