Education secretary Damian Hinds blasted by statistics watchdog for ‘serious’ concerns over use of figures October 8, 2018 Education secretary Damian Hinds has been given a public dressing down by the statistics watchdog after his department made misleading and incorrect claims about England's schools. Sir David Norgrove, chair of the UK Statistics Authority, has written to Hinds urging him to hire analysts to check before future information is given out in speeches and [...]
Want to get the most out of the Cook Islands? Follow Chris Osburn as he explores this South Pacific paradise… October 8, 2018 The Cook Islands is a nation comprising 15 small islands sprinkled across a patch of the South Pacific, roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. As remote as they are spectacular, the collection of islands is reminiscent of Hawaii before its mid-century tourism-boom, and though the largest of its islands is today ringed by boutique [...]
Acacia raises gold production target after strong quarter across Tanzanian mines October 8, 2018 Acacia mining has increased its full-year gold production target after a strong quarter in Tanzania. The gold miner raised its full-year target to just over 500,000 ounces from its original 435,000-475,000 ounces guidance after reporting “strong” production in its three mines in Tanzania. Production at its North Mara mine was up 24 per cent on [...]
Carrefour jumps on blockchain bandwagon in effort to track food supplies October 8, 2018 Europe’s biggest retailer is to roll out blockchain technology to trace the supply of goods such as chickens and eggs. Carrefour is planning to gradually deploy a blockchain ledger across its fresh product lines over the next several years, in a bid to bolster the security of its global supply chains. The French retailer is employing IBM, [...]
Five key takeaways from the FRC’s audit sector report October 8, 2018 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the audit sector’s watchdog, released its annual Developments in Audit report yesterday, outlining key challenges faced in the sector and assessing the current state of the profession. Audit is under close scrutiny at the moment, as politicians and regulators look closely at the dominance of the Big Four audit firms Deloitte, [...]
Flying high: Angling Direct hooks in revenues as physical stores prove to be a big catch October 8, 2018 Angling Direct reeled in a sharp rise in turnover over the first half of 2018, amid burgeoning sales that were bolstered by European expansion and UK store growth. The group today posted a 55 per cent rise in revenue in the first six months of the year, jumping to £21.9m, on the back of a [...]
Harrods to increase in-store investment after customers spent £2.1bn last year October 8, 2018 Harrods will increase investment in luxury boutiques at its Knightsbridge store after defying the retail environment with a 9 per cent profit rise. The luxury department store posted profits after tax of £176.7m, up nearly 9 per cent on the previous year's £162.5m. More than £2.1bn was spent at Harrods in the year ending 3 [...]
Aston Martin shares slide again, as luxury brand’s stock continues to drop October 8, 2018 Shares in newly listed Aston Martin have fallen again on its first full day of trading, following a challenging week when the company fell short of its targeted valuation. At one point this morning the company’s stock was trading down 96p at 1,604p per share. Shares later recovered a little, down 5.4 per cent to [...]
Mitie acquires Vision Security in £14m deal October 8, 2018 Outsourcing and energy services firm Mitie today announced it had completed a £14m cash acquisition of Vision Security. Vision provides security systems such as manned guarding, CCTV and key holding services to its clients, employing 6,000 people and serving 1,400 locations. Mitie said the purchase would secure the position of its Total Security Management business and [...]
French Connection shares rocket as retailer looks for a buyer October 8, 2018 Shares in French Connection were up a huge 32 per cent in early morning trading on the back of news that the brand is up for sale. The clothing retailer yesterday confirmed that it is looking to sell, with founder Stephen Marks hoping to offload his 42 per cent stake. Read more: French Connection founder [...]