Simon Cowell denied huge pay after profit slashed at Britain’s Got Talent owner January 3, 2025 Simon Cowell has not repeated the huge £50m pay day he awarded himself after profit was slashed at his TV empire behind Britain’s Got Talent. Syco Holdings did not issue a dividend to the TV mogul in the year to 31 March, 2024, after its pre-tax profit was cut from £21.1m to £11.9m. Newly-filed accounts [...]
Crown Paints: Losses double as more jobs lost amid DIY downturn January 3, 2025 Crown Paints saw its pre-tax loss more than double as it shed further jobs despite sales rising, it has been revealed. In delayed accounts, the Lancashire-headquartered firm has reported a pre-tax loss of £16.1m for 2023. The figure comes after Crown Paints made a pre-tax loss of £8m in the prior 12 months. However, the [...]
Businesses gloomy about state of economy before Budget tax rises January 3, 2025 Business leaders remain gloomy about the state of the economy entering the New Year, a new survey shows, as they anticipate the impact of the Budget’s tax increases. The Institute of Directors’ economic confidence index, which measures business sentiment about the economy, rose to -61 in December, up from -65 the month before but still [...]
Wizz Air passengers surge despite engine dispute January 3, 2025 Wizz Air passengers jumped above five million in December 2024, a two per cent increase from last year, even as the company was forced to ground dozens of its planes due to engine issues. The FTSE 250 carrier reported 5.06m customers throughout last month, despite a 3.1 per cent drop in seats from last December [...]
Not-so-golden quarter: Retail footfall slumps in another disappointing year January 3, 2025 A dull December marked the end of yet another “disappointing” year for UK retail footfall as fresh data has revealed 2024 was the second year in a row to see a decline. According to recent Sensormatic data by the British Retail Consortium, UK footfall fell by 2.5 per cent year-on-year during the three months to December, [...]
Firms hiring low-wage workers set for tax bill hike, CPS think tank warns January 3, 2025 The cost of employing low-wage workers is set to hit a record high in 2025, according to new analysis. Businesses employing low-wage workers will see their tax bills soar, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned, after research found the rise in employer’s national insurance contributions (NICs) led to a 60 per cent tax [...]
Met Police fail to solve 90 per cent of London car thefts, figures reveal January 3, 2025 The Met Police have failed to solve 90 per cent of car thefts in London, according to new figures branded as “staggeringly high”. Data released by the Home Office showed the capital’s police force categorised 90.2 per cent of car thefts that took place in the four months to June 2024 as “unsolved cases”. The [...]
Rail strikes: Warning of ‘irreparable fallout’ from train walkouts January 2, 2025 The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has warned of the “irreparable fallout” from the ongoing round of Avanti West Coast rail strikes. Passengers faced disruption after rail managers who are members of the RMT union voted to strike on 31 December and 2 January, with disruption on routes to Glasgow, North Wales, Blackpool and Edinburgh. [...]
Tesla: Elon Musk’s EV giant’s sales disappoint with first fall in a decade January 2, 2025 Elon Musk’s EV giant Tesla disappointed with its earnings report today, with its first fall in annual deliveries for over a decade. The electric car behemoth, which has been in the news in the last 24-hours after a vehicles exploded in the US outside a Donald Trump-owned hotel, delivered 1.70 million electric vehicles (EVs) in [...]
Why you should still go to the pub in Dry January January 2, 2025 Dry January has crept up on us once again — a month in which avid pub-goers look to kickstart a healthier year ahead. For some, it’s a month to start fresh with new beginnings. For others, such as the hundreds of independent pubs across the nation looking for growth, it is yet another challenge. Especially [...]