A car-free Oxford Street does sound dreamy, but there’s a problem: buses September 19, 2024 An Oxford Street with no cars is a charming fantasy. But ignore the "red wall of metal" at your peril, writes James Ford
Post Office boss Nick Read to step down next year as successor named September 18, 2024 Post Office chief executive Nick Read will step down from the role in March next year, the company has announced. Neil Brocklehurst, the current interim chief operating officer, is expected to replace Read, who temporarily stepped back from the role in July to give his “entire attention” to the Horizon scandal inquiry. At the time, [...]
Footasylum: New flagship Oxford Street store helps profit more than double September 18, 2024 Pre-tax profit more than doubled at footwear and sportswear retailer Footasylum during its latest financial year. The Greater Manchester-headquartered company has reported a profit of £6m for the year to 27 January, 2024 , up from the £2.8m it posted for the prior 12 months. During the year Footasylum opened a flagship 20,000 sq ft Oxford Street [...]
The Notebook: Investors pile into ISAs ahead of touted capital gains tax raid September 18, 2024 Investors spooked by the rumoured hike in capital gains tax are piling into ISAs, writes Interactive Investor's Myron Jobson.
New access to cash rules kick in for UK banks and building societies September 18, 2024 New rules from the UK's financial regulator to ensure access to cash have come into force, handing new powers to local communities and placing stricter requirements on banks looking to close branches.
The EU will strangle innovation in AI September 18, 2024 EU regulatory overreach has gone from from a Brexiteer conspiracy theory and source of ridicule to something that EU leaders themselves acknowledge and are trying to address. But when it comes to AI, they’re already behind, says James Price If you’ve bought a plastic drinks bottle in recent months, you may have noticed a maddening [...]
Investor Luke Johnson slams Labour’s ‘socialist fantasy’ workers’ rights reform September 17, 2024 Revolution Bars’ newly-appointed chair and seasoned investor Luke Johnson has criticised Labour’s proposed workers’ rights overhaul, calling it a “socialist fantasy.” Labour is preparing a sweeping reform to tackle the UK’s “culture of presenteeism,” including a ban on “exploitative” zero-hours contracts and day-one employment rights. The government argues the changes will drive employee productivity. However, [...]
Economic inactivity due to sickness could reach 4.3m, report warns September 17, 2024 The UK’s level of economic inactivity due to sickness could reach 4.3m by the end of this parliament, with an “unthinkable human and economic cost”, a health report has warned. A cross-party commission on health and prosperity, led by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), has published its findings on the future of Britain’s [...]
Activist investors call for shake-up at Rentokil after share price tumble September 15, 2024 Nelson Peltz’s activist hedge fund Trian Partners is among the shareholders reportedly calling for a shake-up at pest control firm Rentokil after a severe drop in its share price. Trian Partners, which has built a fearsome reputation for waging activist campaigns on global boardrooms, has held urgent meetings with Rentokil’s chief executive and chairman to [...]
Itsu: Return to the office helps boost sales September 13, 2024 The move by companies to encourage their workforce to return to the office helped sales jump at East Asian-inspired eatery chain Itsu during its latest financial year. The London-headquartered company has posted a turnover of £160.7m for 2023, up from the £137.7m it achieved in 2022. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House also show the brand’s [...]