EU referendum: Chairman of JD Wetherspoon sets out his argument for a Brexit – “democracy equals prosperity” March 26, 2016 The chairman of pubs chain JD Wetherspoon has today set out his reasoning for backing a so-called Brexit. Tim Martin was one of 250 business leaders to give their support to the Vote Leave campaign today. Explaining his decision, Martin said: "Democracy equals prosperity. And slowly democracy is being removed by the European Union." Read [...]
EU referendum: Brexit campaign group unveils list of 250 business backers as former BCC director general John Longworth takes up new role March 26, 2016 Vote Leave has today unveiled a list of 250 business leaders backing its campaign for a Brexit. The organisation also revealed John Longworth, the former director general of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), will chair its business council. Read more: Poll finds growing support for a Brexit – but Remain retains lead Meanwhile, a new [...]
Wetherspoons drowns its sorrows as profits are hit by taxes – and chairman voices support for Brexit March 11, 2016 Cheap it may be, but cheerful Wetherspoons is not – after it said profits in the six months to the end of January were hit by the "continuing tax disparity" between supermarkets and pubs, as chairman Tim Martin came out in favour of Brexit. The figures Pre-tax profits fell 2.2 per cent to £36.6m, while operating profit before exceptional [...]
Pub chain J D Wetherspoon to scrap traditional Sunday roast dinners when it brings in its new menu in a couple of weeks February 27, 2016 Sundays are about to get tricky – you might have to find a new haunt to grab your roast dinner at, as popular pub chain J D Wetherspoon is scrapping the traditional Sunday offering. If you need to get your Yorkshire pudding fix, you better be quick, because last roasts will be served on Mother's Day, 6 [...]
High street restaurant dishes from Pizza Express and Barburrito have more salt than a McDonald’s Big Mac February 16, 2016 Popular dishes at some of Britain's best-known high street chains actually contain more salt than junk food favourites like a Big Mac and regular fries from McDonalds. That's according to research by Treated.com, which found some main course menu items on offer in high street chains such as Pizza Express and Barburrito "out-salt" what's generally seen as less [...]
TfL Tube strike on 6 to 8 February 2016 is exposing London to cyber attacks February 5, 2016 The upcoming Tube strike is exposing London to a heightened risk of cyber attacks, as thousands of Londoners prepare to work from home on Monday. “It is crucial that employers are aware of the increased risk of cybercrime that comes with staff logging on from anywhere but the office,” warned Raj Samani, Intel Security’s chief [...]
Ignore celebrities who moan about corporations January 25, 2016 The American writer Paul Theroux once observed that “there are probably more annoying things than being hectored about African development by a wealthy Irish rock star in an American cowboy hat, but I can’t think of one at the moment". It was 2005, and he was expressing a no-doubt commonly held frustration with Bono’s incessant posturing. [...]
The firms benefiting from the cybercrime arms race: NCC, Sophos and Darktrace make UK a cybersecurity leader January 21, 2016 Cybercrime fears are on the rise but it’s not bad news for everyone: the IT security sector is booming. With high-profile hacks against firms like JD Wetherspoons and TalkTalk exposing hundreds of thousands’ personal and financial data, and government and big business alike have been racing to tackle the growing threat, with the UK doubling [...]
FTSE 100 index closes in a bear market as the price of oil falls further January 20, 2016 The FTSE 100 index officially fell into a bear market on Wednesday as the price of oil continued to slide. The UK's blue-chip index fell 3.46 per cent to 5,673 points, falling over 20 per cent from the high it reached in April 2015. "Few stocks were spared today as European equity markets plunged sharply today with the FTSE 100 [...]
Wetherspoon’s share price plummets on warning that profits will come at lower end of expectations after labour costs start to bite January 20, 2016 JD Wetherspoon's share price tumbled more than nine per cent this morning, after warning that full year profits will be towards the lower end of expectations, as increases in labour costs eat into the bottom line. The figures Like-for-like sales at the pub group rose 3.3 per cent in the 12 weeks to 17 January, while total [...]