Rishi Sunak urged to ‘turn wise words into action’ by FSB chair after small retailers feel ‘abandoned’ March 11, 2022 The chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to “turn wise words into action”, after the vast majority of micro firms said they felt “abandoned” by his policies. As the cost of living crisis continues to bite for retailers and consumers alike, 2,000 independent retailers were surveyed through Not [...]
We need to hold our nerve on green levies as the energy crisis starts to bite March 11, 2022 Disruption in the energy markets is set to drive up bills for every family and business in Britain. With gas prices in the UK recently reaching an all-time high, the consumer impact will be profound. Millions of households are expected to see annual energy bills of £3,000, and many face fuel poverty in an escalating [...]
Lib Dems call for £18bn cut to VAT to ease cost of living crunch March 10, 2022 The Liberal Democrats are calling for an £18bn VAT cut that would see the rate slashed from 20 to 17.5 per cent in a bid to ease the cost of living crunch on British households. The Lib Dems say the new policy proposal, released on the eve of the party’s spring conference, would save households [...]
CF Fertilisers confirm UK operations continue despite energy market volatility March 10, 2022 One of the UK's leading fertiliser, CO2 and ammonia providers insist there have been no changes to its operations.
Stateside inflation surges to over 40 year high strengthening case for rapid US Fed tightening March 10, 2022 Stateside prices are accelerating at the fastest pace in over 40 years, strengthening the case for the US Federal Reserve to front load reining in policy. Inflation in the US scaled to 7.9 per cent, according to data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics today, the hottest rate since January 1982. The fresh [...]
European Central Bank leaves rates negative despite inflation hitting record high March 10, 2022 The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged in negative territory today despite inflation on the Continent running at a record high. President Christine Lagarde and co kept borrowing costs at minus 0.5 per cent, where they have been for several years, sticking with its more dovish stance toward monetary policy. The ECB has been [...]
Gas prices hit record levels this month reveals Office for National Statistics March 10, 2022 Gas prices soared 66 per cent in the week up to 6 March 2022 to record levels at 15.5p per kilowatt hour (kWH), according to the ONS.
DS Smith: What inflation? Amazon partner shrugs off rising costs March 10, 2022 DS Smith reported its latest results this morning, which were largely in-line with expectations. The group’s been able to fully offset rising costs with price increases and volume growth. The impact of rising energy costs has been mitigated by improved efficiency and a hedging strategy. Full year like-for-like volume growth is expected to be in [...]
Staff at John Lewis to share £46m bonus pot after profits rebound by nearly 40 per cent March 10, 2022 Staff at the John Lewis Partnership will share a £46m bonus pot after the retail giant saw underlying annual profits rebound by 38 per cent. The group, which also owns upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose, said it will pay a bonus of 3% to its employees, or one-and-a-half weeks’ pay, and increase wages by 2 per [...]
UAE hints at supporting boost in oil supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine March 10, 2022 OPEC member United Arab Emirates called for more oil supplies to be pumped into the market yesterday amid fears of supply shortages.