FTSE 100 close: Vodafone tumbles more than seven per cent after announcing 11,000 job cuts May 16, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 gave up gains today as fresh data yielded tentative signs that the UK workforce is rebalancing and telecoms giant Vodafone tumbled quickly. The capital’s premier index fell 0.34 per cent to 7,751.07 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, was [...]
Explainer: Back to work, Britain. Is Hunt’s plan to get people out of retirement working? May 16, 2023 It was one of the key ambitions of Jeremy Hunt's spring budget, to get Britain back to work, and on the surface, it seems to be working.
Krispy Kreme plays down impact of UK rules on unhealthy foods May 16, 2023 The boss of Krispy Kreme doughnuts has shrugged off the impact of new UK regulations on unhealthy food in supermarkets, insisting that consumers could simply be “trained” to look elsewhere in shops for their sweet treats. Major retailers have been banned from placing high fat, sugar or salt items near prominent store locations such as [...]
Insolvencies drop 15 per cent – but experts warn ‘we’re not out of the woods yet’ May 16, 2023 Corporate insolvencies dropped off in April as business confidence seemed to improve but experts warned that the drop may not signal better times ahead. According to new figures from the Insolvency Service, 1,685 companies went insolvent in April 2023, a 15 per cent fall on the same month the previous year. This was also down [...]
The Notebook: Susannah Streeter talks Brits’ love of brands, ready meals and Eurovision May 16, 2023 The notebook is a place for interesting people to say interesting things. Today, it’s the turn of former journalist and now Hargreaves Lansdown’s head of money and markets Susannah Streeter. Our love of big brands helps fuel inflation fires Brand power is the much-lauded virtue of the world’s most successful companies. But this much-admired characteristic is partly [...]
Record number of Brits return to workforce but inflation continues to wipe out pay growth May 16, 2023 A record number of Brits are returning to the workforce in a sign that labour shortages that have held back economic growth and pushed up inflation are starting to unwind, official figures out today show. A net 251,000 people flowed out of economic inactivity in the three months to March compared to the previous quarter, [...]
Boohoo share price soars as profits halve: Brits ditch fast-fashion and head back to the high street May 16, 2023 Online fashion retailer Boohoo said its profits halved, as the cost of living crisis continues to hit consumers’ spending and Brits flock back to physical stores. Pre-tax profits for the group halved during the 12 month period ended 28 February 2023 to £63.3m, down 49 per cent, with revenues dropping 11 per cent to £1.77bn. [...]
Tesco cuts price on 30 own brand products including pasta and oil as supermarket wars continue May 16, 2023 Tesco has announced another round of price cuts on its own-brand pasta and cooking oil as it sees deflation making its way through to cupboard essentials. The UK’s biggest supermarket is dropping the price of 30 products, with 15p off 500g and 1kg packs of own-brand pasta, 14p off its one litre vegetable oil and [...]
UK isn’t alone in this recession merry-go-round – just look at Europe May 16, 2023 It’s worth remembering that Britain isn’t some sort of pariah in the rich world that’s undergoing a tough economic slump, which is threatening to extend the growth slow down since the 2008 financial crisis. Europe’s major economies, led by Germany, its powerhouse, are also in the teeth of a slump. Numbers out last week revealed [...]
Some meat, yoghurt and vegetables have doubled in price in a year, new data shows May 16, 2023 Some meat, yoghurt and vegetables are among items that have doubled in price compared to a year ago, according to new figures from consumer group Which? The group urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to intervene on behalf of struggling consumers as its latest data shows food inflation remaining at “shockingly high levels”. The figures come ahead of Tuesday’s [...]