Shoe Zone: Firm slams Budget tax hikes as it’s forced to close ‘unviable’ stores December 18, 2024 Shoe Zone has said it has been forced to close “a number” of stores following higher costs announced in the Autumn budget. The affordable footwear company said a combination of lower consumer confidence following the budget, plus “significant additional costs” due to the increases in National Insurance and the National Living Wage, have made the stores [...]
UK inflation spikes ahead of Bank of England rates decision December 18, 2024 UK inflation spiked to 2.6 per cent ahead of the Bank of England’s meeting to decide interest rates later this week. Year-on-year inflation matched expectations of 2.6 per cent in November, up from 2.3 per cent in October, data from the Office for National Statistics revealed. Meanwhile, core inflation, which strips out volatile commodities like [...]
Why Canary Wharf has just topped the list of UK retail destinations December 18, 2024 The phrase ‘London retail’ tends to conjure up images of crowds on Oxford Street, boutiques in Marylebone or Chelsea, maybe a Westfield. Green Street, however, has just rated Canary Wharf as the number one retail destination in not only London, but the UK as a whole. Canary Wharf is certainly having a good year: In [...]
LaLiga slam ‘failed’ Super League plans as Unify League announced December 17, 2024 Spanish football league LaLiga has hit out at revised plans for the European Super League, now under the name of the Unify League. The organisers of the European Super League have announced its rebranding as the “Unify League” as they step up efforts to revive the breakaway competition. A year after the European Court of [...]
HS2 chair to step down as cost swells to £66bn December 17, 2024 The chair of the company behind High Speed Two (HS2) is to stop down next year, it has been announced. Sir Jon Thompson has served on the board of HS2 Ltd for almost four years after first joining as a non-executive director in April 2021. He was appointed as the company’s chair in February 2023 [...]
Ministers push back decision on Luton Airport expansion for third time December 17, 2024 Luton Airport wants to increase passenger capacity from 18m to 32m per year through a £2.4bn expansion project.
Lack of bids keeps 17,000 homes stuck in development purgatory December 17, 2024 Around 17,000 affordable homes are stuck in development purgatory due to a lack of demand from housing providers, according to new research. Under the English planning system, housing developments must set aside a proportion of the site for affordable housing via a Section 106 deal. These Section 106 houses have become an increasingly important mechanism [...]
Navantia on cusp of £70m rescue deal for Titanic shipyard Harland & Wolff December 17, 2024 Ministers are hoping to announce Harland's acquisition by the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia as early as Thursday, according to Sky News.
The intersection between the capital markets and the insurance industry December 17, 2024 | Sponsored Insurance is part of the DNA of global capitalism, but due to concerns around complexity and liquidity, the market has historically struggled to attract the capital needed for growth. Aon’s Capital Advisory division works with insurance clients to enhance return on capital by matching risk with capital to make better business decisions. It’s been built [...]
Audit watchdog swaps City of London for Canary Wharf’s Harbour Exchange December 17, 2024 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has revealed it's swapping its City office for Harbour Exchange in Canary Wharf