Big freeze and VAT hike hit January sales January 27, 2010 RETAILERS suffered in Britain’s big freeze as shoppers deserted the high street at the start of the year. Figures from the CBI laid bare the grim news for shops with poor weather and the end of the VAT reduction taking their toll in January. The monthly survey found that 36 per cent of retailers saw [...]
Manufacturing output grows for the first time in two years January 21, 2010 MANUFACTURERS expanded their production for the first time in two years in the three months to January as demand for UK exports increased, the Confederation for Business Industry (CBI) said yesterday in its quarterly Industrial Trends survey. A net 11 per cent of manufacturers said output had risen over the past quarter, raising hopes that [...]
NEWS | IN BRIEF January 19, 2010 CBI refuses to back gender pay The CBI yesterday clarified its decision not to back the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) proposals regarding gender pay reporting. Katja Hall, CBI director of employment policy, said the publication of average salary figures for men and women could be “misleading”. She warned that people could think that [...]
Severn Trent latest to back Diplomas February 21, 2010 UTILITIES giant Severn Trent is the latest employer to join a network of 250 companies supporting Diplomas, a government-backed programme designed to help teenagers prepare for the workplace. Severn Trent chief executive Tony Wray has joined a growing number of organisations supporting the programme, including House of Fraser, the British Chambers of Commerce and Chartered [...]
FIRST LADIES OF THE CITY GET TOGETHER FOR A GOOD OLD GOSSIP March 1, 2010 FORGET austerity and po-faced über-networking – get a bunch of ladies in a room together and we all know what’s going to happen. It was gossip galore up at the top of the Lloyds Banking Group headquarters on Gresham Street yesterday morning, as the sunlight streamed through the ninth floor windows and the City’s most [...]
CBI’s low-paid ‘limbo’ unlikely July 6, 2009 Richard Nicolle, employment partner at legal giant Denton Wilde Sapte, says the CBI’s proposals of an “Alternative to Redundancy” scheme are unlikely to be taken up by the government. He said the plans are “unlikely to come to fruition” as policymakers will resist any measures that could boost the UK’s unemployment figures. The CBI last [...]
Government sets hard line on diversity March 7, 2010 COMPANIES may be forced to disclose the actions they take to increase the proportion of women in senior roles within their ranks, under new government proposals to be unveiled today. Ministers have called on the Financial Reporting Council to consider including a new clause in the UK corporate governance code, dedicated to improving disclosure around [...]
Retailers hit by worst January in 15 years as snow and VAT hike take toll February 8, 2010 THE UK high street shuddered last month as retailers suffered their worst January in 15 years due to snow and a lack of consumer confidence, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will say today. Underlying sales values for January fell 0.7 per cent compared to a 2.6 per cent rise the year before. On a total [...]
NEWS | IN BRIEF January 19, 2010 Habitat to write off debts Habitat’s owners are set to write off 60 per cent of the furniture retailers debts. New owner Hilco, which bought the company for a nominal sum in return for taking on the businesses debts, plans to convert £53m of Habitat’s £87m debt into equity. The sale involved former owner Ikano [...]
Government in bid to stop a tax exodus February 22, 2010 THE government yesterday moved to reassure multinational firms that there will be no surprise tax changes if Labour wins the next general election, amid growing fears of an exodus of blue-chip firms. Chancellor Alistair Darling told an audience of chief executives – including GSK boss Andrew Witty, WPP chief Martin Sorrell and the LSE’s Xavier [...]