H&M warns more price increases could be on the way for shoppers as ‘many challenges’ continue June 29, 2022 The second largest global fashion firm H&M has warned it plans to hike prices even further this year. The Stockholm-based retailer posted pre-tax profit of 4.78bn Swedish crowns ($471m) on Wednesday, surpassing analysts’ expectations. Profit boosted by 33 per cent compared to the same period last year. The buoyant half-year results came after the fashion [...]
Capita posts ‘strong’ first half results as BBC TV licensing contract boosts outsourcer’s revenues June 29, 2022 Capita today posted “strong” results for the first half of 2022, after a series of “significant” government contracts boosted its H1 revenues. The outsourcing company said trading in the first half of 2022 sat in line with expectations, as it said its revenues were bolstered by the renewal of a £456m contract to run the [...]
Postal services face summer mayhem as strikes loom June 27, 2022 Over 100 Crown Post Offices will closed for one day in July, as workers strike against a massive real-terms pay cut.
Graduates set to enter UK’s strongest job market in years as starting salaries soar June 27, 2022 Graduates are set to enter the strongest job market Britain has seen in years, on the back of surging graduate salaries and a major increase in the number of graduate jobs. Graduate salaries are up seven per cent compared to a year ago, while the number of graduate job vacancies is up 59 per cent [...]
Week ahead: City eyes housing stats and BoE governor Bailey remarks June 26, 2022 The UK’s red hot housing market is set to revert to more normal territory driven by the cost of living crunch chilling demand for homes, fresh data released this week that will be closely watched by the City. London’s premier FTSE 100 index has rebounded after suffering bruising losses of late caused by investors around [...]
Put it on expenses: Bite-size pub lunch and training will help City workers take proper screen break June 24, 2022 Leading pub chain Greene King is offering city workers a pub lunch and a pint along with ‘bite-size’ training sessions. In wake of the pandemic’s shake-up of the working week, the ‘Expensable Lunch’ will be launching at the start of next month, to improve people’s personal and professional development – while giving them a much-needed [...]
Explainer-in-brief: Why paper bank notes are finally on the out June 24, 2022 Hear, hear: we all have 99 days left to use our £20 and £50 paper banknotes before they’re out of the market. Why is the Bank of England taking these notes away? The OId Lady says paper notes are easier to counterfeit than plastic ones, so it’s time to get rid of them. Plastic ones [...]
Retail sales volumes fell last month as the cost of living crunch eats into April’s gains June 24, 2022 Retail sales volumes fell by 0.5 per cent last month, according to the latest figures, as the cost of living crisis eats away at gains made in April. While the figures suggest current inflation levels and concerns over a recession have Brits’ pinching their purse strings, sales volumes were 2.6 per cent above pre-pandemic levels, [...]
Vacant homes in London increase by the thousands, fuelling squeezed supply June 24, 2022 Westminster has seen the number of vacant but owned homes jump by 48 per cent over the past year – the equivalent of nearly 2,500 homes – as property demand in London outpaces supply. London is the only region of England which has seen the number of vacant homes rise over the past year, according [...]
Shares plunge for Naked Wines after bleak sales guidance warning June 23, 2022 Naked Wines’ shares tumbled by around 40 per cent on Thursday after the online wine retailer warned its sales would take a hit this year. The London-listed retailer cautioned its shareholders that sales could plunge by as much as four per cent in the year to the end of March. Naked Wines would “not pursue [...]