The UK is an economic powerhouse – and we should know October 14, 2024 Brits should be less British about boasting about the strengths of our economy and our enduring spirit of entrepreneurialism, creativity and innovation, says Saker Nusseibeh It is a common characteristic of our national discourse to err towards the negative. An inclination to see, but not celebrate, what this country already does so well. Perhaps it [...]
Retailers pin hopes on bumper golden quarter with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas October 14, 2024 The final three months of the year, also known as the golden quarter, are make-or-break for retailers. Retail spending has consistently languished this year, or been propped up by margin-carving discounts, but pent-up demand is expected to give the sector a much-needed boost during the holidays, according to a panel of industry experts. Despite consumer [...]
Mondelēz: Sales pass milestone at Cadbury owner but profit melts October 10, 2024 Sales at the owner of brands such as Cadbury, Toblerone and Oreo surged past the £2bn mark in 2023 but its profit was slashed, it has been revealed. Uxbridge-headquartered Mondelēz UK, which is part of the wider Mondelēz International group, has reported a turnover of £2.21bn for its latest financial year, up from the £1.95bn [...]
The View from The Shard remains troubled despite ‘positive’ outlook October 10, 2024 The company behind the viewing gallery at The Shard remained in the red for a fourth consecutive year despite it its revenue continuing to rise. The London attraction has reported a pre-tax loss of £678,839 for 2023, according to newly-filed accounts with Companies House. The total comes after the firm also posted a pre-tax loss [...]
Stefano Cantino: Who is Gucci’s new boss tasked with turning the luxury brand around? October 9, 2024 First Mulberry, then Burberry, and now Gucci – reshuffles at the very top of luxury businesses are definitely in vogue. Gucci, owned by Kering, has announced the appointment of Stefano Cantino as its new chief executive. He will take over from interim boss Jean-Francois Palus on 1 January 2025. Much like Mulberry and Burberry’s new [...]
Pensioner pessimism drags on consumer confidence ahead of Budget October 9, 2024 Just one in six consumers think that the economy will improve over the next year while half think it will get worse, according to Which?
The threat of higher taxes is already harming growth October 9, 2024 An important reason why there was zero growth in June and July is that households are saving bigger proportions of their incomes, says Paul Ormerod The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had made no secret of her desire to make economic growth her top policy objective. She reinforced the message this week in an interview with the [...]
Honda in the red despite ‘fun’ motorcycles helping to boost European sales by £1bn October 8, 2024 The increasing popularity of ‘fun’ motorcycles helping to boost Honda’s European sales by almost £1bn failed to stop the brand falling into the red during its latest financial year. The Berkshire-headquartered European division achieved a revenue of £4.498bn for the year to 31 March, 2024, up from the £3.523bn it reported for the prior 12 [...]
DPD: How parcel delivery giant is tracking return to growth October 8, 2024 Parcel delivery giant DPD is targeting the expansion of its international services to turn around its falling turnover which has decreased by £100m since the start of 2022. The group, which is owned by France’s La Poste, said it is forecasting a return to sales growth by the end of 2024 after setting its sights [...]
Wine sellers in ‘bleak’ alcohol duty tax burden warning October 7, 2024 Four of the UK’s biggest wine sellers have said that upcoming changes to alcohol duty will lead to price rises in a “bleak” warning to their customers. Majestic, Laithwaites, The Wine Society and Cambridge Wine Merchants are amongst the wine businesses who together launched a poster campaign against changes to the excise duty. Excise Duty [...]