AI can jump-start UK productivity – we just need to get over our trust issues August 22, 2024 Artificial intelligence can be the productivity cure it promises to be - but we need a little trust, writes Daniel Pell.
Growth, inheritance tax and Natwest: Five subplots from the latest borrowing figures August 21, 2024 New figures show that the government borrowed more than expected in July as spending on public services increased faster than tax receipts.
Growth in food retail at highest in two years thanks to summer finally arriving August 21, 2024 After a damp start to summer, till sales growth boomed in July to record the strongest growth for food retail in two years. Total till sales at UK supermarkets grew 5.5 per cent in the four weeks ending 10 August 2024, up from 3.6 per cent in the previous month, according to fresh data by NIQ. [...]
Falling number of London taxi drivers leads to LEVC losing more than £100m August 21, 2024 LEVC is attempting to boost its net worth by £100m to combat the falling number of taxi drivers in central London and the expected further decline in its sales this year. The Coventry-headquartered electric taxi maker, which is also known as London EV Company, is in the process of increasing the value of everything a [...]
Costain launches £10m share buyback as profit and backlog jumps August 21, 2024 Engineering firm Costain has kicked off a £10m share buyback after it revealed a set of strong results this morning. In its half-year results, the company revealed that adjusted operating profit had jumped 8.7 per cent to £16.3m, thanks to an increased operating margin at its transportation arm and increased revenue at its natural resources [...]
JP Morgan nudges up UK growth forecasts after latest GDP figures August 20, 2024 JP Morgan bumped up their growth forecasts for the UK economy in the third quarter of this year following last week’s GDP figures. The investment bank now expects the economy to grow 0.4 per cent between July and September, up from a previous estimate of 0.3 per cent. This equates to an annualised growth rate [...]
HSBC mulls sale of South African businesses in pivot to Asia August 20, 2024 HSBC is reportedly considering selling its South African businesses as part of its pivot towards Asian markets.
Rick Stein-owned group to open new restaurant in central London after return to profit August 20, 2024 The Stein Group, founded and co-owned by Rick Stein, has announced plans to expand to central London after making its way back into profit last year. Stein’s has reportedly begun the search for a central London site for its thirteenth restaurant. It currently operates twelve eateries across the south of the country, with one already [...]
Compulsory liquidations hit highest level in almost six years August 20, 2024 New figures from the Insolvency Services showed that there were 320 compulsory liquidations in July, the highest number since before the pandemic.
Samsung UK: TVs boost profit despite smartphones losing ground August 20, 2024 The rise in popularly in premium TVs helped Samsung’s UK profit surge during its latest financial year despite the electronics giant losing ground in the smartphones market. The UK arm of Samsung has reported a pre-tax profit of £135.3m for 2023, up from £126.8m, thanks to it boosting its market share in high-end televisions. The [...]