Food and beverage M&A activity at highest since 2010 October 5, 2021 UK food and beverage M&A market activity was at its highest since 2010 this summer. Deal value between May and August, was at an estimated £3.9bn, according to corporate finance house Oghma Partners’ latest report. The year-to-date total value of recorded deals are estimated at £5.8bn – the nearest annual total was that 2015’s figure [...]
Just a handful of Brits want to work remotely all the time October 5, 2021 Just a handful of Brits want to work remotely all the time, reveal new figures published today. Research by the UK’s largest bank HSBC found 14 per cent of people want to work away from the office all the time. The figures reinforce the continued pull of physical offices, but highlight that elements of hybrid [...]
Time to fly: our space highways are just as important for security as those on the ground October 5, 2021 Much has been said about the poor timing of Government announcements, and the launch of the National Space Strategy last week was no exception. As Britain sent the first satellites from European soil in 2022 the country was grappling with fuel shortages and fears of a “winter of discontent”. However, the criticism is little in [...]
Exclusive: Minister is ‘very optimistic’ people will not be told to work from home in winter October 4, 2021 It is unlikely the government will tell people to work from home this winter, London minister Paul Scully has said. Scully told City A.M. today that he was “very optimistic” the government will not have to mandate working from home as a part of its Covid “plan b” for winter. Boris Johnson last month outlined [...]
Petrofac fined £77m for string of Middle Eastern bribery charges October 4, 2021 Petrofac has been fined £77m for seven separate charges of failing to prevent bribery in the Middle East, to which the London-listed oil services provider plead guilty last month. The penalty, for failing to prevent former Petrofac employees from offering or making payments to agents in relation to projects awarded between 2012 and 2015, is [...]
Conservative conference: Rishi Sunak declares the ‘future is here’ October 4, 2021 Rishi Sunak has declared the “future is here” in his party conference speech as he vowed to bring the UK’s economy into the 21st century. The chancellor said “I want tax cuts”, but that first “public finances must be put back on a sustainable footing”. It comes after the government recently increased National Insurance Contributions [...]
OECD slams ESG investing for being toothless at tackling climate change October 4, 2021 The organisation representing the world’s richest countries has slammed ESG investing for being toothless at fighting climate change. In a damning report released today, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hit out at ESG investing for lacking “clarity” and “transparency”. “Data inconsistencies, lack of comparability of ESG criteria and rating methodologies, as well [...]
Claire Harvey: Sport should take lessons from the City on inclusion policy October 4, 2021 British Paralympian and global inclusion expert Claire Harvey calls on sport’s national governing bodies to adopt grassroots diversity targets into their participation drive. Sport has for a long time been a source of inspiration to the masses. It is one of the unifying forces that humanity has to offer, yet – if we’re honest with [...]
Tsunami of turnover: Half of UK employers brace themselves for widespread employee ‘burnout’ October 4, 2021 The dramatic changes that the pandemic has brought about is prompting nearly one in two UK employers to prepare themselves for widespread employee ‘burnout’ next year. Nine out of 10 of 300 chief executives and other senior managers surveyed said they were wary about their company’s ability to retain valued staff. Recruiter Robert Half said [...]
UK businesses’ research and development investments climb to record £47bn October 4, 2021 The amount spent by UK businesses on research and development has jumped 15 per cent to £47bn last year, a record high and up from £41bn the year before, according to new data shared with City A.M. this morning. says UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group. The figures show that UK businesses also claimed [...]