Car sales will mostly be online by 2030 in a blow to vehicle dealerships November 30, 2021 UK motoring executives think cars will be mostly sold online by 2030, with electric vehicles (EVs) making between 70 and 100 per cent of new vehicle sales in western Europe. Data from KPMG’s automotive executive survey has revealed that 59 per cent of 1118 executives interviewed believe online sales will become the norm by the [...]
Ofgem risks losing public trust after British Gas’ profit bonanza July 31, 2023 Four years of heavy losses and instability in the energy industry were upended last week when British Gas posted record profits.
Frustrated customers are leaving their banks over mishandled complaints September 23, 2021 Disgruntled customers are leaving their banks in droves after being let down by inadequate complaints handling processes. Complaints have been on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic with 27 per cent of customers raising issues with their bank or the Ombudsman in the past 12 months. Data from software company Nuix found that over a [...]
How did theme-park giant Merlin weather the pandemic? January 20, 2022 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Diligence, resilience and diversity are the holy trinity when faced with a global crisis. Robert Galbraith CA, Head of Finance at Merlin Entertainments Japan, tells Nick Scott how the theme-park giant weathered the storm to get hearts racing again Read December/January’s CA magazine now “And he read Principles [...]
National insurance hike to spike UK firms just as they recover from Plan B and Omicron February 1, 2022 The national insurance hike is set to spike UK businesses just as they have recovered from the Omicron and Plan B-induced economic hit, reveals a fresh survey released today. Firms are deeply concerned that a combination of the national insurance (NI) hike and swelling energy bills will limit their capacity to survive, according to research [...]
Eurozone retail sales rise above pre-Covid levels to record high August 4, 2021 Eurozone retail sales surged past pre-Covid levels in June to reach a record high, according to new figures published today. Retails sales in the 19 countries that make up the area jumped 1.5 per cent over the last month, driven by consumers returning to high streets, restaurants and bars, although at a slower pace than [...]
Roadmap out of lockdown sends consumer confidence to near 12-month high March 19, 2021 Roadmap out of lockdown sends consumer confidence to near 12-month high
Joe Biden’s executive order smoothing a transition to open-banking should inspire UK competition and innovation July 16, 2021 President Biden won a lot of praise when he issued a slew of consumer-friendly executive orders last week. One of them could have an impact here, an ocean away from the US consumers who’ll feel the direct benefit. The order aims to make it easier for US customers to access and share their banking data. [...]
Consumer credit borrowing exceeds repayments for first time since August June 29, 2021 Households borrowed more in consumer credit than they repaid in May for the first time since August, according to Bank of England data published on Tuesday. Net consumer credit was £280m in May, reversing a trend seen throughout the majority of the pandemic as households reined in spending whilst the economy was shuttered. The positive [...]
Prime London sales hit highest yearly growth since 2015 November 5, 2021 The Prime London sales market has marked the highest annual growth since September 2015, as consumer confidence bounces back. Average prices across central areas including the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea increased by 1.2 per cent in the year to October. September was the sixth consecutive month of annual [...]