Tool hire services Speedy sheds half of debt ahead of B&Q trial May 25, 2021 Equipment and tool hire services Speedy reported strong net debt levels this morning, as the company revealed it shed £46.1m in debt over the pandemic and saw its dividends double. Despite revenue falling 10.6 per cent to £363.6m, in the year ended 31 March 2021, Speedy enjoyed a sturdy start to 2021’s financial year with [...]
Why the Isle of Man is the new hotness for small-batch spirits May 25, 2021 In an old milking shed at Ballakelly Farm in Andreas on the Isle of Man, a new F&B scene is being created. The Manx Outlier movement even has its own manifesto, written by two gentlemen from Surrey. “We are based at an outlying point of the Isle of Man, which is itself an outlier of [...]
Retirement villages may offer high streets their needed post-pandemic revival May 24, 2021 Retirement village provider Audley Group and BlackRock Real Assets have embarked on a £500m joint venture into the retirement living sector in the UK, which could bring high streets the much-needed footfall for post-pandemic revival. The joint venture, confirmed yesterday, will fund the development of at least three retirement communities, which will be ready for [...]
Brexit exclusive: UK-Norway trade deal close to collapsing as Christian-Democrats block pact to protect farmers from British beef and cheese May 24, 2021 A comprehensive free trade deal between the UK and Norway is at risk of collapsing as the Christian Democrat party fears such a pact would hit farmers in Scandinavia’s richest country too hard. The Christian Democrats party (Krf), part of the current coalition government, plans to block opening up the Norwegian market to British beef [...]
The hybrid working gap: The young, broke and single prefer the office May 24, 2021 Older workers are more likely to prefer hybrid working models than younger people. Half of employees aged 18 to 24-years-old want to return to the office full time, compared to just 29 per cent of over 55s, according to a survey carried out by Totem, an employee engagement and culture app The survey showed that 66 [...]
Beyond Pret sandwich sales, how do we measure the recovery of London? May 23, 2021 After more than a year of lockdown restrictions, words like “recovery” are thick in the air. Indeed, the Bank of England is forecasting annual growth of 7.25 per cent, the fastest rate since 1941; positive news, but it is not the most digestible statistic for much of Britain’s population. The most important benchmarks are ones [...]
Great British Railways: an eerie reminder of state ownership detested by free marketeers and socialists alike May 21, 2021 The current amount of taxpayers’ money being paid to operate and maintain the railways is unsustainable, the authors of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail report wrote in the opening pages. The railways lack a guiding focus on customers, are too fragmented, too complicated, and too expensive to run. Instead, the authors herald a new age, [...]
Retail sales soared in April as Brits came out of third Covid-19 lockdown May 21, 2021 Retail sales soared in April as Brits came out of third Covid-19 lockdown
Has lockdown triggered a City brain-drain? May 20, 2021 The explosion in home-working due to lockdown is shifting the focus away from a London-centric view of careers, with regional firms benefiting from a growing desire to shun the commute. Lockdown is prompting a shift away from City jobs to opportunities at smaller, regional practices with talent-hungry boutique firms stretching to match Square Mile-level salary [...]
Where in the West End and City of London office leasing market rebounding most? May 20, 2021 Where is the West End and City of London office leasing market rebounding most?