Lacoste: Flagship London store fails to boost sales as label falls to loss November 29, 2024 The opening of a flagship store in London’s Regent Street failed to stop the UK arm of sports fashion label Lacoste entering the red, it has been revealed. The business has reported a pre-tax loss of £3.2m for 2023, according to delayed accounts filed with Companies House. The results for the brand also show its [...]
Bank of England warns on threat of global trade barriers November 29, 2024 Rising global trade barriers threaten to drag on global economic growth and unsettle the stability of the UK’s financial system, the Bank of England has warned today. In its half-yearly financial stability report, the central bank said the financial system could be hit by disruption to cross-border capital flows and a reduced ability to diversify [...]
Apprenticeships are the answer to getting young people in work November 29, 2024 Once, the UK looked enviously at the German and Swiss “skills miracles,” renowned for their robust apprenticeship systems and highly skilled workforces. Today, the tables have turned. Many countries now look to Britain as a beacon of innovation in skills development and apprenticeships, says Robert Halfon The government has just released a White Paper on [...]
Employer national insurance raid could lead to 130,000 jobs being slashed November 28, 2024 Analysis from Bloomberg Economics suggests that up to 130,000 jobs could be lost if firms responded to the tax hike primarily by cutting employment.
Independent high street shops could take brunt of national insurance hike November 28, 2024 Independent high street shops could face the worst of Rachel Reeves’ tax raid as a direct result of the hike in employers’ National Insurance Contributions (NICs), a new analysis shared with City AM has found. The analysis, commissioned by small business platform Enterprise Nation, revealed the impact of the 1.2 per cent hike in employers’ [...]
Travelodge turns to robot vacuums amid budget hotel chain facing £21m costs hike November 28, 2024 Travelodge has revealed it is facing a £21m hike in costs in 2025 following Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Budget. The budget hotel group has warned it will see the increase because of the combined impact of another minimum wage hike in April as well as a higher rate of employer national insurance set to push up [...]
Coventry Building Society to take over Co-op Bank in January November 28, 2024 Regulators have given the green light for Coventry Building Society to acquire The Co-operative Bank in January as consolidation sweeps through Britain’s mid-sized banking sector. The two lenders said on Thursday that the Financial Conduct Authority and Bank of England’s Prudential Regulation Authority had approved the £780m deal, which was agreed in May. The takeover [...]
Morrisons expands use of Ocado’s grocery-picking software in store November 28, 2024 Ocado has announced it will work more with Morrisons in-store and less via fulfilment centres as the latter company recalibrates the operations of its online grocery arm. Morrisons, which has been working with Ocado since 2013, will “gradually cease” deliveries from Ocado’s Erith fulfilment centre, in the south east Ocado said in a statement this [...]
Forget Reeves’ CV – there’s a bigger transparency problem in monetary policy November 28, 2024 The real discussion shouldn’t be about whether Reeves deserves to call herself an “economist”. It should focus on the unchecked power of current central bank leaders, the far-reaching consequences of their decisions, and how we hold them to account, says Tim Focas The recent controversy over Rachel Reeves’ tenure as an economist at the Bank [...]
‘Catastrophic’: Airports demand meeting with Rachel Reeves over business rates November 27, 2024 A draft letter from Airports UK, which represents over 50 airports in the UK, claims the industry will be forced to pay out more than £1bn.