Good Energy profits down as warm weather takes its toll March 17, 2015 Good Energy revenues and customer numbers rose last year, but profits were held back by warm weather. The figures During the 12 months to 31 December, Good Energy's pre-tax profits declined by 33 per cent to £2.2m. The company put this down to “challenging trading conditions resulting from the warmest year since records began”, as [...]
Just Eat had a great 2014, and this year is looking just as good as international expansion continues March 17, 2015 Just Eat had a year of growth, with users, revenue and orders reaching new heights. The figures Just Eat's revenue for the year ended 31 December was £157.0m, marking a 62 per cent increase from 2013's figure of £96.8m. This was driven by a 52 per cent increase in orders and a 37 per [...]
Apprentices to get 20 per cent pay rise but George Osborne misses minimum wage goal March 16, 2015 Apprentices will get a 20 per cent pay rise this October, after business secretary Vince Cable won his battle to overrule the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendation of a 2.6 per cent rise in the minimum wage. By contrast, chancellor George Osborne has failed to meet his aspiration to hike the headline minimum wage to [...]
Dax hits record as it strides past 12,000 barrier March 16, 2015 German stock market benchmark – the Dax – hit a record high yesterday in a strong day for Eurozone markets. The index of 30 major German companies closed at 12,167.72 – a 2.24 per cent gain. The European Central Bank (ECB) had purchased €9.571bn (£6.841bn) of debt in the first three days of its public [...]
City skills shortage: Almost two vacancies for each jobseeker March 16, 2015 Finance firms’ growth is being held back by a lack of workers, recruiter Robert Walters warned today. It has 10,560 vacancies on its books, but just 6,090 jobseekers to fill it. The burgeoning economic recovery has encouraged workers to look at moving jobs – Robert Walters has seen a 48 per cent rise in potential movers [...]
Co-op Travel changes name to Clarity as new owners cut ties March 16, 2015 Co-operative Travel Management moved to cut the final ties with its former owner yesterday after relaunching as Clarity Travel Management. The corporate travel agent was run as a joint venture between the troubled mutual and Thomas Cook before the pair sold it to the Saudi-based Al Tayyar Group last year. The sale formed part of [...]
Global house prices suffer first quarterly decline in two years March 16, 2015 Global house prices have suffered their first quarterly decline in more than two years, figures out yesterday show, as tensions between Greece and the Eurozone and weaker growth prospects in China weighed on consumer sentiment. Knight Frank’s Global House Price Index, which is weighted according to each country’s GDP, fell by 0.6 per cent in [...]
China is hot on the heels of US and Russia in arms export league March 16, 2015 China has become the world’s third largest exporter of arms after the US and Russia, according to a new report, accounting for five per cent of the overall total. China overtook Germany, France and the UK in exporting weapons between 2010 and 2014, said the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri). Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, [...]
The Manchester Building Society sues accountants Grant Thornton March 16, 2015 The Manchester Building Society yesterday accused Grant Thornton of negligence in its auditing, filing a claim for £49m in damages from the accountants. The mutual lender said Grant Thornton gave it incorrect advice on hedge accounting. The legal action is “for breach of contract, negligence and breach of statutory duty relating to audit services and [...]
PureCircle sweetens sales as big brands adopt stevia products March 16, 2015 Sweetner producer PureCircle announced sales of $43.2m (£29.1m) for the six-month period to 31 December 2014. This represents a 24 per cent increase on the previous year’s $34.9m. The company, which uses the sugar substitute stevia, said revenue was driven higher by its incorporation into high-profile brands such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola. “Stevia is now [...]