Lloyds and PwC face £55m court case from motor dealer who says the firms forced it out of business February 25, 2018 Lloyds Banking Group and accountants PwC face a £55m legal battle with a motor dealership which will allege they colluded to force it out of business. Yorkshire-based Premier Motor Auctions will argue Lloyds used its Business Support Unit as a profit centre to extract money from struggling firms, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Premier, led [...]
Ollie Phillips: Don’t expect a shock – Saracens and Exeter are streets ahead of their Premiership play-off rivals May 23, 2019 The Premiership semi-finals are upon us this weekend and it is very much a case of challengers taking on heavy favourites. Saracens and Exeter have been dominant over the past few seasons and it will take a mammoth effort from Gloucester or Northampton to reach the final. Saracens have won three of the last four [...]
Ollie Phillips: Why well-drilled Saracens will be too strong for Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership final May 30, 2019 The Premiership final is here and it’s no surprise to see Saracens and Exeter Chiefs facing off at Twickenham on Saturday. They’re simply head and shoulders above the rest at the moment. It will be the third final meeting between the two and one of them has been involved in each of the last five [...]
BNY Mellon backtracks on home working crackdown after staff outcry March 7, 2019 US bank BNY Mellon has U-turned on a proposed crackdown on flexible working arrangements after an outcry from staff. The bank had launched a review of flexible working with staff expected to work from the office in most circumstances. Financial News first reported the story on Monday which triggered a backlash from staff and diversity campaigners. Read [...]
Bosses, learn the zen power of doing nothing May 29, 2019 Chief executives feel compelled to be constantly “doing”. There’s an underlying urgent mantra of “move quickly” and “make things happen”, high pressure played out against a backdrop of constant and accelerated change. But isn’t that just business as usual? PwC recently reported that chief executives now spend, on average, just 4.8 years in their role, [...]
Public mistrust in AI ‘puts UK tech dominance at risk’ August 8, 2019 Public mistrust in artificial intelligence risks setting the UK back in the global tech race, according to a report published today. UK businesses must lead by example and take an ethical approach to the new technology if they are to secure consumer confidence, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned. Read more: Google-owned AI firm [...]
Bonmarche surrenders, while Creightons makes dramatic charge July 2, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. The UK consumer is the driving force behind very different outcomes for this pair of tiddlers. Over 50s fashion chain Bonmarche (LSE:BON) raised the white flag last week after seeing the British weather scupper its defence against a £5.7 million takeover by billionaire Philip Day. The retailer, which was valued at £100 million when [...]
Demand for financial services drops for first time in five years and could fall further this quarter January 14, 2019 Demand for financial services has fallen for the first time in five years and business volumes could drop even further in the first quarter of 2019, firms have warned. A survey of 84 companies, carried out by the Confederation of British Industry and PwC, showed that business volumes and sentiment fell in the three months [...]
Euro rises as Eurozone economy shows stronger-than-expected growth in first quarter April 30, 2019 The Eurozone economy achieved faster-than-expected growth in the first quarter of the year, marking a pick-up from its lacklustre performance at the end of 2018, official statistics have revealed. Read more: Euro falls as ECB chief Draghi bearish on Eurozone economy Economic growth in the currency area was 0.4 per cent in the first quarter [...]
UK inflation rises above two per cent target as energy costs increase May 22, 2019 The UK’s core inflation rate climbed to 2.1 per cent in April, as rising energy costs pushed up by the higher Ofgem price cap fed into dearer prices in the economy, official statistics have revealed. Read more: UK economy bounces back, but is growth just a ‘flash in the pan’? Traditionally, inflation above the Bank [...]