Walkers: Sales jump at Doritos, Monster Munch and Quavers owner December 16, 2024 Sales at the owner of the UK’s favourite crisps brands, Walkers, jumped by more than £60m during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The Pepsi-owned business, which splits its UK accounts across three firms, has only just revealed its results for 2023, long after the 30 September deadline set by Companies House. Manufacturing [...]
Bank of England set to hold interest rates after inflation jump December 16, 2024 The Bank of England is poised to leave interest rates on hold this week after inflation rose more than expected.
UK inflation expected to rise again in fresh blow to Labour December 16, 2024 Official data this week is expected to show inflation moved further away from the Bank of England's two per cent target in November, dealing another blow to the government after a contraction in GDP.
Growth is easier to destroy than to build December 16, 2024 Missions, milestones, foundations and pledges; Keir Starmer has unveiled them all since winning the election in July, but no amount of visionary rhetoric can compel an economy to grow. Since Labour’s election victory the British economy has whimpered to a halt. GDP flatlined in July and achieved a barely perceptible nudge up in August before contracting [...]
‘Hammer blow’: Family firms call for inheritance tax consultation December 16, 2024 Family businesses are urging the government to consult on changes to inheritance tax (IHT), warning the move represents a “hammer blow” to the UK economy. Some 160,000 family-owned firms – represented by 32 trade associations – have written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves to request a formal consultation on IHT changes in the Budget. The letter, [...]
Talktalk to axe hundreds of jobs in latest cost-cutting drive December 15, 2024 Talktalk is set to cut hundreds of jobs as it looks to boost its balance sheet after narrowly avoiding collapse earlier this year. The telecoms giant, which had 1,857 employees at the end of February, outlined plans to cut the roles in the “radical” restructuring in an update last week, according to The Telegraph. The [...]
A requiem for UK equity capital markets December 14, 2024 London’s storied status as a global financial powerhouse is slipping away, and with every IPO that doesn’t materialise or company that decamps to the US, it becomes clearer that the City is in its death throes, says Owen Matthews As a former mid-cap ECM investment banker, I’ve watched with despair as the lights dim on [...]
Best cars of 2024 – From the new Aston Martin Vantage to the McLaren Artura Spider December 13, 2024 The car industry is facing strong headwinds, from import tariffs to mandated EV sales targets. Despite it all, though, 2024 has produced some genuinely exciting new cars, many of which we were lucky enough to drive. This isn’t a round-up of the ‘best’ cars of the year; many of the vehicles listed here are totally [...]
UK economy ‘at risk of stagflation’ as growth stalls under Labour December 13, 2024 Latest official GDP figures show the UK economy has stopped expanding since Labour took power, creating a headache for Keir Starmer after putting growth at the centre of his government’s mission. The economy unexpectedly shrank by 0.1 per cent in October, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics. It missed economists’ expectations [...]
Crowdcube: Turnover falls by half as losses continue December 13, 2024 Turnover at funding platform Crowdcube fell by half during its latest financial year as it continued to lose money, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered business has reported a turnover of £7.5m for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The new figure comes after Crowdcube posted a turnover of £14.4m for the 15 [...]