The Chancellor must act urgently to restore business confidence March 5, 2025 77 per cent of businesses have ‘low or very low confidence’ in the UK’s business environment; winning business back will require us to actively improve our offering, with comprehensive reforms to our regulatory, legal and fiscal framework, says Sam Bidwell With all eyes on Washington and Kyiv, the government must not lose sight of trouble [...]
What ever happened to levelling up? March 5, 2025 Levelling up has all but disappeared from the government's agenda. That's a big mistake for growth, writes Paul Ormerod.
Foxtons: Estate agent boosts dividend as property sales pickup March 5, 2025 London’s biggest letting agent, Foxtons, has raised its final dividend by 30 per cent after double-digit revenue growth. The company’s growth was driven by sales rather than lettings in the year ended December 31, 2024, with sales revenue up 31 per cent year on year and lettings up five per cent. Foxtons added that sales revenue [...]
Quilter hikes dividend as ongoing advice review drags on March 5, 2025 Asset management firm Quilter has reported a 17 per cent rise in adjusted profit to £196m for 2024, alongside a two-percentage-point improvement in its operating margin to 29 per cent. The wealth management firm, which provides advice and investment solutions across the high net worth and affluent market segments, recorded net inflows of £4.8bn. This [...]
AI and hybrid patterns set to determine the future of work March 5, 2025 Rising employment costs have driven many UK businesses towards investing in AI instead of hiring new employees, while workers are resisting efforts to increase office mandates in favour of working from home (WFH). New research from Linkedin and Pleo has revealed the tension between using AI as a cost-saving tactic, and the need for meaningful [...]
Abrdone: Can the vowel U-turn save Aberdeen? March 4, 2025 Abrdn has re-added the vowels to its name as part of a shocking branding U-turn. But will it play a role in rebuilding the asset manager’s fortunes? Does it even matter in the grand scheme of things? The much-mocked corporate moniker was finally retired today after years of Square Mile sniggering and, it must be [...]
NHS delays drive demand for private healthcare to record March 4, 2025 Private healthcare market has broken yet another record, with private hospital admissions hitting their highest Q3 on record
‘Sell’ Greggs shares analysts say after poor results March 4, 2025 High street bakery Greggs has reported a double-digit increase in sales for 2024, taking it past the £2bn sales milestone for the first time. However, its share price fell more than eight per cent in early trades, which analysts attributed to a slowdown in sales growth. “Profits are up but it’s not the stellar performance [...]
The 13 skyscrapers set to redefine the City of London’s skyline March 4, 2025 The City of London Corporation has released new images visualising how the Square Mile’s skyline will look.
A win on the world stage masks mounting trouble at home March 4, 2025 Keir Starmer has won plaudits for his decision to increase defence spending (albeit by less than the amount he’s given Ed Miliband to run a pretend energy company) and voters appear to be firmly behind the PM’s decision to fund this modest splurge by raiding the international development budget. The latest City AM Freshwater Strategy [...]