Brits warned to brace for higher alcohol prices from next week January 28, 2025 On February 1 new duty rates on wine and spirits will come into force, meaning a rise in price for most alcohol. Under a new sliding system of duties, wine with a higher abv (alcohol by volume) will see the biggest price increase, with the duty on a 14.5 per cent abv wine to rise [...]
Food prices set to rise ‘across the board’ as inflation fears build January 28, 2025 The BRC's shop price index showed that food prices rose 0.5 per cent month-on-month, up from 0.1 per cent in December
UK dividends fall in 2024 after miners cut payouts January 28, 2025 UK dividends fell 0.4 per cent on an underlying basis in 2024 after miners slashed payouts by 40 per cent compared to the previous year. While headline dividends in 2024 rose 2.3 per cent to £92.1bn, this was thanks to a surge in one-off payments to £5.6bn. Underlying or regular dividends fell to £86.5bn, thanks [...]
Zuckerberg’s transition from geek to jock heralds the dawn of the alpha age January 28, 2025 Zuckerberg’s masculine makeover is emblematic of how Silicon Valley – previously the bastion of Californian idealism – has fully pivoted towards the Trump era, says Eliza Filby Back in early 2019, before the world had any inkling of what lay ahead, I attended a conference called: Disruption. It took place in a futuristic, windowless dome, [...]
Pension industry backs Reeves’ £160bn investment drive January 28, 2025 The pensions industry has said it is willing to back the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ plans to unlock up to £160bn in corporate surpluses if retirees are given “appropriate protection” by the government. Reeves and the Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to meet with business leaders in the City of London today to outline pension [...]
Higher UK interest rates could give a boost to productivity January 27, 2025 Analysts at the bank think that more expensive borrowing costs could force firms to employ resources more efficiently.
Interest rate calls from ECB and Fed to highlight Atlantic growth divergence January 27, 2025 The decisions will highlight the differing economic outlooks on either side of the Atlantic.
James Dyson: Reeves’ inheritance tax hike ‘is killing geese that lay golden eggs’ January 27, 2025 Billionaire Sir James Dyson has again hit out at Rachel Reeves for her tax raid budget, saying British family businesses are being “fleeced”. The British entrepreneur, 77, hit out at the Chancellor in a letter to The Times, writing that Reeves will “kill off” British family businesses with a “vindictive” budget, including inheritance tax hikes. [...]
Wingstop and Popeyes serve up major UK expansion plans January 27, 2025 Fast-growing chains Wingstop and Popeyes have each announced major plans to expand further across the UK and create thousands of jobs. Popeyes has outlined proposals to almost double its footprint in the UK with the opening of more than 45 restaurants. The move will increase its presence in the likes of Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol [...]
UK listed firms issued third-most profit warnings ever last year January 27, 2025 One in five UK-listed companies issued a profit warning in 2024, according to EY, revealing the scale of the challenges facing the business community.