Working from home is not to blame for ‘hollowing out’ London February 18, 2025 Sadiq Khan has expressed concern about the decline in office attendance and urged employers to attract workers back – but the finger of blame turns inexorably on himself, says Tom Jones Nick, 30 years old, shuffles out of his single bed with a weary sigh. The dull grey morning light of late winter barely pierces [...]
“LEAP 2025, leading the way in AI Investments” February 18, 2025 Inside Saudi Board Sir Martin Sorrell is the founder of S4 Capital, whose wholly owned subsidiary Monks is a marketing and services model with a key focus on AI. It has thousands of digital experts working across almost 60 talent hubs in over 30 countries. Sir Martyn Lewis caught up with Sir Martin when he [...]
Club L London almost triples in size as it targets international expansion February 18, 2025 Fashion retailer Club L London is targeting international expansion after almost tripling its sales and headcount over a two-year period. The Manchester-headquartered company achieved a turnover of £44.4m for the 14 months to 31 March, 2024, newly-filed accounts with Companies House have revealed. The latest sales figure comes after Club L London’s turnover stood at [...]
Ann Summers slips further into the red as sales dip February 18, 2025 Ann Summers slipped further into the red as it battled “significant external pressures” including the cost-of-living crisis, rising inflation and Google’s safe search restrictions. The retailer fell to a pre-tax loss of £13.1m for the year to 29 June, 2024, after it also made a loss of £3.8m in the prior 12 months. Newly-filed accounts [...]
Antofagasta: Copper miner’s profit jumps amid booming demand February 18, 2025 Mining giant Antofagasta has reported a five per cent increase in revenue for 2024, driven by higher copper prices, although growth was partially offset by lower sales volumes. The group posted revenue of $6.6bn (£5.2bn) while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 11 per cent to $3.4bn. Profit before tax climbed five [...]
Wage growth accelerates again as concerns about inflation rise February 18, 2025 Wage growth accelerated again in the final quarter of last year, new figures show, in a reminder that the UK economy still faces sticky price pressures.
UK fintech investment hits four-year low February 18, 2025 Fintech investment in the UK had another sluggish year with new data showing it sunk to a four-year low in 2024. KPMG’s bi-annual fintech report showed UK fintech investment fell by 27 per cent to £7.9bn last year, down from £10.1bn in 2023. Despite this, the UK managed to scoop up more funding than France, [...]
UK jumps to fifth for M&A attractiveness globally February 17, 2025 The UK has been ranked fifth for the most attractive destination for merger and acquisition (M&A) investors internationally, beating out all but Germany across Europe. The UK climbed two spaces from last year with an index score of 71 per cent, compared to the top US score of 78 per cent, according to the latest [...]
Fan pressure tells as Liverpool freeze ticket prices for next season February 17, 2025 Premier League leaders Liverpool have bowed to supporter pressure and frozen ticket prices for next season. The decision to increase prices by two per cent this term sparked fan protests and accusations of greed being aimed at the club’s US owners, Fenway Sports Group. But there will be no repeat for the 2025-26 campaign after [...]
City braces for inflation rebound February 17, 2025 City analysts expect the headline rate of inflation to rise to 2.8 per cent, up from 2.5 per cent in December.