City Moves for 24 August 2016 | Who’s switching jobs August 24, 2016 Smith & Williamson Smith & Williamson, the investment management, accountancy and tax group, has appointed Grant Hotson as group financial director. Grant joins the main board of Smith & Williamson and will sit on the firm’s subsidiary boards relating to the tax and business services and the investment management and banking divisions. He takes over from [...]
Supermarket sales creep upwards as grocers benefit from the summer sun August 23, 2016 Grocery sales edged up this summer as sunny weather encouraged shoppers to spend. According to data from Kantar Worldpanel, supermarket sales increased by 0.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to 14 August – the fastest growth in the grocery market since March this year. There is no evidence yet to suggest the Brexit vote [...]
City Moves for 22 August 2016 | Who’s switching jobs August 22, 2016 Falcon Technologies International Optical Media storage specialist Falcon Technologies International has appointed Michael Gutowski as chief executive officer. Michael brings on board over 20 years of experience in the optical media industry, including having been CEO of Infodisc Technology in Europe and developing the firm into one of the leading players in the region. In addition to his executive [...]
Sorry supermarkets, grocery spending in Europe is growing at its slowest pace ever August 17, 2016 Consumer spending at supermarkets grew at its slowest pace in eight years – a historical low – as the price wars continue to take a toll, new figures reveal. The money making its way through supermarkets' tills grew by just 0.8 per cent across Europe in the second quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2015, [...]
Make £££ interest on top current accounts this year August 17, 2016 Savers have been dealt a double whammy of blows this month. The Bank of England cut interest rates from their already-record low of 0.5 per cent down to a paltry 0.25 per cent, which is likely to have an impact on the already poor levels of interest paid on savings accounts. The 0.5 level was considered [...]
Do you take contactless cards? How about dog leads? These are the 10 items Britons want to be contactless payment-enabled August 16, 2016 Contactless payments may already be ubiquitous here in the City, but with the ever-encroaching tide of the Internet of Things people might start using some slightly more unusual payment methods in the future. Contactless technology is used to make around seven million transactions per day in the UK, but what about cufflinks? Watches? Even your [...]
Saving no longer as easy as 1, 2, 3: Santander chops interest rate on top account – and now Lloyds is considering a rate change too August 15, 2016 Santander has today confirmed it is slashing interest rates on its popular 1,2,3 account to 1.5 per cent, while Lloyds has revealed it is mulling its options. Santander's change in rate will be effective from 1 November, and it is also making some changes to the overdraft rates. In a statement issued this morning, the bank [...]
How nine challenger banks reacted to the CMA’s report on current accounts August 9, 2016 Nine challenger banks including TSB and Metro Bank have slammed the findings of the UK's competition watchdog in its investigation into the retail banking sector, arguing the review has missed “a golden opportunity”. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report, published this morning, called on banks to implement an “open banking” standard by 2018, allowing customers to monitor and access all [...]
Mark Hix on the difference between morels, chanterelles and girolles and why you should eat them all the time August 2, 2016 Girolles are one of the first mushrooms to appear on the UK’s culinary calendar. If you’re very lucky, you might find a rare morel or a scarlet elf cup, which grows in freezing conditions in the early part of the year unlike most of themushrooms we pick here. But trust me, the first funghi you’re [...]
Yeo Valley-manufactured yoghurts sold at Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury’s and The Co-Operative in rubber scare recall August 1, 2016 Five supermarkets have been advised to recall thousands of own-brand yoghurts manufactured by Yeo Valley as they may contain small pieces of rubber. Asda, the Co-Operative, Sainsbury, Tesco and Waitrose have all been affected by the recall of the yoghurts. The rubber was found in a fruit conserve made by a supplier, Yeo Valley said [...]