Why the public finances may improve even faster than the Budget forecasts March 18, 2015 The chancellor delivered an astute Budget yesterday. Some politically safe revenue raising measures (a raid on the banks, a further crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion, and a reduction in the lifetime allowance for pensions) raised enough money to pay for some politically popular giveaways: an increase in personal income tax allowances, a new tax [...]
BHS parent Retail Acquisitions appoints property consultants to “review” store portfolio March 18, 2015 Retail Acquisitions has appointed property consultants to review BHS' 171-strong store portfolio, as the new owner gets to grips with its loss-making business. BHS had already taken the decision to shut its Oxford and Foss Park stores ahead of Sir Philip Green's sale of the business, and these will close their doors “in the coming [...]
How to win at job interviews, according to Google’s HR boss March 17, 2015 Google's senior vice president of people operations Laszlo Bock wants to help you win at job interviews. He's about to publish a book about succeeding at work and ahead of that has been posting advice on how to get a job at Google (or anywhere). Ahead of publication he is also sharing six tips [...]
Sotheby’s bids high to land first new chief executive for 15 years March 16, 2015 SOTHEBY’S has ended its four-month search for a new chief executive officer by appointing Tad Smith as president and leader of the group. Smith, who will begin his new role at the international auction house on 31 March, succeeds William Ruprecht who has served as chief executive since 2000. “The board is unanimous in its [...]
Atom Bank’s chief Mark Mullen on using the Post Office to launch challengers March 16, 2015 Digital banking sounds super-cool. You can manage your money entirely on a smartphone and, if you choose a new challenger, stick it to the big banks at the same time. There is one big problem – where do you pay in cash? Atom Bank’s boss thinks shared hubs like the Post Office could be the [...]
Bank of England tight lipped on liquidity market probe March 5, 2015 Threadneedle Street was on lockdown yesterday, as Bank of England officials declined to give any details of potential fraud around its liquidity operations in the crisis years. A spokesperson for the Bank said it would not answer questions on speculation over which of the Bank’s schemes the alleged fraud relates to. “We are not getting [...]
Alastair Campbell on winners: Are there any left in the Labour party? March 5, 2015 When the political satire In The Loop came out in 2009, the Culture Show did a segment in which the critic Mark Kermode watched the film with Alastair Campbell. Afterwards, a sourfaced Campbell delivered his verdict: “I didn’t find it terribly funny.” Kermode said he had sympathy with any representation of politics as venal and [...]
GlaxoSmithKline gives shareholders £4bn windfall after Novartis deal March 2, 2015 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is delivering a £4bn windfall to shareholders following the conclusion of a three-way deal with Novartis. The deal comes in the wake of a dreadful 2014 for the British drugmaker in which turnover fell by 10 per cent and profits slumped 15 per cent after declining sales in the US and a bribery [...]
What’s in store for London’s financial services sector? February 27, 2015 With the onslaught of regulation post-financial crisis, and the rise of other financial centres like Hong Kong, many have been left wondering what's in store for the future of London's financial services sector? It's an important question. London's financial sector Financial and related professional services contributed £174bn to the UK economy in 2012, accounting for 12.6% [...]
Here are the 40 wealthiest ex-apprentices February 26, 2015 Anyone who wants to be rich is typically told to go to university, but apprenticeships can offer another route, with a number of ex-apprentices making it to the top of their trade and becoming multi-millionaires in the process. As demand for skilled workers rising – to the extent that some can ask employers for higher [...]