Consumer confidence continues to rise amid cost-of-living woes September 22, 2023 Consumer confidence is continuing to rise against a backdrop of falling inflation – but many households are continuing to struggle with cost-of-living pressures, according to a survey. GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index increased four points in September, but remains at a subdued minus 21. Expectations for the UK’s wider economy over the next 12 months [...]
The Lord Mayor Hosts City Businesses at Mansion House for Number Confidence Week! November 10, 2023 To celebrate National Numeracy’s Number Confidence Week taking place from 6–10 November The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Nicholas Lyons hosted a free event at Mansion House this Wednesday to encourage City businesses to take part in the initiative to create numeracy champions all over the city. The morning get together hosted [...]
WH Smith, M&S and Argos among hundreds fined for failing to pay minimum wage June 21, 2023 Hundreds of businesses including high-street heavyweights WH Smith, M&S and Argos have been named and shamed after being fined for failing to pay workers the minimum wage. Firms from sole traders to household names were ordered to repay 63,000 staff lost wages totalling close to £5m, after breaching National Minimum Wage (NMW) law. WH Smith [...]
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey predicts drop in inflation allaying recession fears October 20, 2023 UK inflation is set to drop markedly for October amid continued efforts to tackle the higher cost of living, the governor of the Bank of England has said. Andrew Bailey indicated inflation will return to its recent pattern of slowdowns after the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recorded a surprise pause last month, leaving inflation [...]
Savers sees profit jump after cutting hundreds of jobs July 8, 2024 Budget health and beauty retailer Savers has seen its profit jump after shedding almost 300 jobs amid "another tough year for retail", according to newly-filed documents.
Shock record wage growth amplifies risk of 14th straight Bank of England interest rate rise July 11, 2023 Workers’ pay is rising faster than expected and at among the quickest paces on record in a sign that the Bank of England will deliver a 14th straight interest rate rise next month, official figures out this morning reveal. Pay excluding bonuses rose 7.3 per cent over the three months to May on an annual [...]
Rising costs force owner of Blackpool’s piers into the red August 6, 2024 The company the owns Blackpool’s three iconic piers fell into the red during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The Blackpool Pier Company, which owns the South, Central and North piers on city’s Promenade, has posted a pre-tax loss of £335,652 after reporting a pre-tax profit of £354,231 in 2022. According to newly-filed [...]
FTSE 100 close: Wage growth fuels rate fears as M&S soars and B&M drops on Wilko speculation August 15, 2023 London’s FTSE 100 ended Tuesday down more than 1.6 per cent, as record-breaking wage growth fueled speculation of a 15th straight Bank of England rate hike. The capital’s blue-chip index was down 1.63 per cent by close of play to to 7,384.94, weighed down by listed investment firm Abrdn, down three per cent, alongside Pheonix [...]
Bank of England dishes out £25m in bonuses despite Andrew Bailey demanding wage restraint July 19, 2023 The Bank of England has dished out tens of millions of pounds in bonuses despite Governor Andrew Bailey and other senior officials demanding workers accept real terms pay cuts. Threadneedle Street rewarded staff with a total of £25m in one-off handouts over the last year, up from £23m in the previous year, according to a [...]
UK vacancies run at 1m in every month for last two years July 24, 2023 UK businesses are still hungry to take on workers despite the economy slowing under the weight of high inflation and interest rates, a new survey out today shows. Vacancies are up for the fifth month in a row and have now been at least 1m in every month since June 2021, according to research by [...]