Plain packaging: Here are six reactions to today’s High Court ruling on cigarette packets in the UK that will be introduced tomorrow May 19, 2016 This afternoon the High Court ruled against a legal challenge brought forward by big tobacco companies to try and avert new plain packaging laws that will be implemented tomorrow. The world's big four tobacco companies were involved in the legal challenge, which was led by Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco. Japan Tobacco International [...]
Keydata’s former compliance officer banned by watchdog, but £200k fine dropped May 19, 2016 The City watchdog has today banned the ex-compliance officer of Keydata Investment Services from performing any function related to regulated financial activities. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found that Peter Johnson failed to act with integrity, and misled the Financial Services Authority (FSA) – the FCA's predecessor – on a number of occasions. Johnson also would have been fined £200,000, [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open May 19, 2016 Markets are still reeling from the Fed's warning that they're not taking the possibility of a June interest rate hike seriously enough and ratings agency Moody's has downgraded US growth prospects. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. The pre-market is not looking strong this morning follow [...]
What you need to know about the new vaping legislation coming into force on 20 May May 19, 2016 From tomorrow, new legislation will significantly clamp down on and choke off e-cigarettes throughout the European Union. Here's everything you need to know about what will change, where the laws have come from and where you can still vape. What will change tomorrow? The maximum capacity of nicotine in an e-cigarette will now be 20mg, [...]
New domestic and EU laws will stub out menthol cigarettes and 10-packs from tomorrow May 19, 2016 Smokers are in for a bitter cocktail of regulation tomorrow as EU and UK laws come into force, phasing out 10-packs, menthol cigarettes and introducing new plain packaging rules. Manufacturers will be banned from producing 10-packs of cigarettes under the European Union's Tobacco Products Directive, which will be implemented on Friday after the European Court of [...]
Coffee nation: The UK’s caffeine addiction revealed as coffee chains take over May 19, 2016 Over-caffeinated Brits are fuelling a boom in coffee shops, according to new data from CBRE. Over the past 17 years, there has been a massive 20-fold increase in coffee chain outlets, from just 215 in 1998 to 4,234 in 2015. And the coffee shop trend shows no sign of abating, with an increase of six per [...]
Lots of shopping stopped the economy from dropping… maybe May 19, 2016 Brits did not let poor weather, referendum nerves or weak confidence stop them from hitting the shops last month. Retail sales volumes were 4.3 per cent higher in April than last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as falling prices brought shoppers out in their droves. Over the month, sales were up [...]
Mothercare takes baby steps towards recovery with first statutory profit in five years May 19, 2016 Mothercare's share price has soared more than 10.3 per cent this morning after posting its first statutory profit in five years. The figures Revenues dropped 4.5 per cent worldwide to £1.15bn, with the international market continuing to be "challenging". However total UK sales were up 0.3 per cent to £459.7m, with like-for-likes up 3.6 per cent. Group [...]
P2P lending: Why the Lending Club fiasco won’t send us all back to the dark ages May 19, 2016 You'd be forgiven for thinking, following last week’s news that Lending Club’s chief executive Renaud Laplanche was stepping down amid allegations around loan sales and misconduct, that this is the end of P2P lending as we know it. Commentators have been quick to discredit the P2P sector, with online lenders labelled “banks in disguise”, up [...]
More BHS bidders revealed following deadline for offers May 18, 2016 Hilco Capital has been named as one of the bidders for beleaguered department story chain BHS, following last week's deadline for offers. BHS went into administration last month, and the company had reportedly attracted the interest of five suitors hoping to buy the whole of the high street retailer ahead of last week's bid deadline. Hilco, reported by ITV [...]