Not going out: sales down 4.5 per cent for pubs, bars and restaurants November 15, 2021 The hospitality sector is struggling to bounce back from Covid-19 as Brits take a cautious attitude to spending post-lockdown. Rolling sales for managed pubs, bars and restaurants are down 4.5 per cent over the past 12 months as the sector continues to be hit hard by supply chain pressures, high energy prices and recruitment issues. [...]
Labour claims Sunak will not have the ‘fiscal headroom’ to cut taxes before next election November 14, 2021 New UK growth forecasts from the Bank of England show that Rishi Sunak will not have the “fiscal headroom” to cut taxes before the next election, according to shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves. The central bank now forecasts the UK economy will grow by 1.5 and 1 per cent in 2023 and 2024 respectively, compared to [...]
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace denies murder of Kenyan woman by British soldier was covered up November 14, 2021 Defence Secretary Ben Wallce has insisted that there is “no cover up” as Kenyan police look to reopen a probe into what happened to a woman whose body was found in a septic tank close to a British army base. Wallace said the Ministry of Defence (MoD) had aided the investigation into Agnes Wanjiru’s alleged [...]
IFS: Brits unlikely to spend pandemic savings anytime soon November 12, 2021 Brits are unlikely to dip into their pandemic-induced savings and splash the cash any time soon. A greater propensity to save, especially among richer households, and maintaining savings habits adopted during the Covid-19 crisis will deter Brits from spending, according to the economic think tank the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Normal spending patterns were [...]
From drivers to prison officers: Rapid jump in job adverts as vacancies climb to 2.7m November 12, 2021 Rising demand for driving instructors, prison officers and forklift truck drivers is helping to fuel an increase in job adverts, new research suggests. Around 221,000 new job adverts were posted in the first week of November, the fourth highest weekly figure since the start of 2020, taking the total to nearly 2.7m, according to the [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile today? November 12, 2021 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. BGF Business Growth Fund (BGF) has appointed a new head of ESG and sustainability, who will be tasked with embedding the new investor focus into the fund’s new and existing portfolio companies. Roshni Bandesha has spent the [...]
Labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening before Christmas November 12, 2021 The ongoing labour squeeze shows no signs of loosening in the run up to Christmas, raising fresh concerns that usual festive activities could be scuppered. In the first week of this month alone, over 220,000 new job ads were posted in the UK, a historically high print since records began, according to the Recruitment and [...]
Business cannot afford to ignore disabled people November 11, 2021 DiverCity® Podcast · SPECIAL EPISODE – Disability: Champions, Challenges, and Change In discussions around diversity and inclusion, disability is too often the forgotten dimension. But post-Covid, with debate evolving about organisational structures and working models, it is time for businesses to make themselves truly accessible to disabled people. Sophie Christiansen and Christiane Link joined the [...]
Record 267 bank branches were closed across UK within just three months November 10, 2021 Data from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) shows that 267 bank and building society branches were closed permanently between April and June of this year, leaving the overall network 4.55 per cent smaller at 5,599. The closures meant less than two-thirds of the UK population (60.1 per cent) are now within 2km of a bank [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile today? November 10, 2021 Deloitte Deloitte has posted a new partner to its financial advisory practice, who is set to head real estate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for the sector. Bringing 17 years experience in M&A and principal investments to the position, Abhishek Jaiswal joins the Big Four firm from Bank of America where he was a lead real [...]