‘Acute’ staff shortages and rising energy bills force most businesses to hike their prices November 12, 2021 Amid ‘acute’ staff shortages and the rising cost of fuel and energy, most businesses are increasing their prices. A survey of 1,000 firms showed that four out of five increased the price of their goods or services in the past year. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said its study indicated that nine out of [...]
OECD ranking: The award for the country with the world’s most competitive tax system goes to… November 11, 2021 Estonia tops the rankings in a new report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that was published today by the Tax Foundation, a tax policy non-profit in the U.S. The ranking zooms in on the the most competitive tax regimes around the world. Estonia’s top score is driven by a 20 per [...]
What everyone warned for is now a fact: Supply chain woes are slowing UK economic growth November 11, 2021 The ONS said this morning that UK economic growth slowed sharply between July and September. The official figures show this is largely due to the ongoing supply chain problems. The economy expanded by 1.3 per cent between July and September, down from growth of 5.5 per cent in the previous three months. The ONS said [...]
GDP: Summer spending pushes UK economy growth spurt of 1.3 per cent November 11, 2021 The UK economy grew by 1.3 per cent between July and September, down from 5.5 per cent in the previous three months, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said. The quarterly figure has fallen below analyst estimates of 1.5 per cent. The UK’s GDP remains just 0.6 per cent below its pre-pandemic levels after [...]
Heathrow’s constant queues are more than a nuisance – they’re undermining London November 11, 2021 First impressions count. The truism applies to countries as well as people. When entering a new country our first impression of it will be its border control. I remember fondly arriving in Paphos, Cyprus before and after they joined the European Union and the development was remarkable. It told a story of a country on [...]
Dunelm criticised for ‘excessive’ £4m pay package for chief exec November 10, 2021 Home furnishings retailer Dunelm is under pressure over a £4m pay package for its chief exec amid accusations that the deal is “excessive”.
Adapt or die: What can retail, health and other industries learn from banks? Turns out, a lot November 10, 2021 What can retail, health and other industries learn from banks? Turns out, a lot. A third of Brits rate their digital experiences in financial services a 9 or 10 out of 10 compared to other industries. In fact, whether it is making payments, getting a loan or even opening a new account, by far most [...]
What analysing language tells us about inflation November 10, 2021 With the headline consumer price index (CPI) rate at a 13-year high in the US, it is not surprising that companies are talking more about inflation. It’s not just business surveys that show us this. You can also see it by looking at the transcripts of what the management teams of publicly-listed companies have talked [...]
Klarna challenger Zilch becomes fastest-ever British unicorn November 10, 2021 London-based fintech Zilch has today closed a mammoth $110m Series C funding round and become the UK’s latest billion dollar company in record-breaking time. The round brings Zilch, whose product capitalises on the lucrative Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) sector but in many ways resembles a credit card, to a $2bn valuation – four times [...]
UK economy set to eke out anaemic growth in set of muddled GDP figures November 9, 2021 The UK economy is set to squeeze out anaemic growth as the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis continues to slow, according to City economists. Severe supply chain bottlenecks, compounded by soaring energy prices, logistics systems breaking down and a paucity of workers has crimped businesses. As a result, the size of the British economy is [...]