The rise of the London Village January 16, 2014 IT SEEMS these days everyone wants their slice of village life, even if they live and work in the heart of the city. The Big Smoke has always been made up of distinct neighbourhoods with their own character and lifestyle, but the idea of the London Village has really taken hold in the public imagination [...]
Q and A: Royal Mail share sale: what’s next for the postal service? October 14, 2013 Q What’s happening today? I thought Royal Mail was already listed. A Shares were allocated to investors last Friday and conditional trading began the same day. But the formal float process is only completed today, meaning buyers actually come into possession of shares listed on the stock market. Q Does this mean I can finally [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 22 November 2013 November 21, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Independence could lose sterling Scotland will be forced to quit the sterling currency union if it votes for independence next year, a cabinet minister has said, in the starkest warning yet for Scottish voters to remain in the UK. Speaking to the Financial Times days before the Scottish government releases its vision for [...]
Royal Mail staff to strike on 4 November October 16, 2013 Royal Mail staff will strike on 4 November after the Communication Workers Union's (CWU) ballot of around 115,000 members returned a 4-1 decision in favour of industrial action, it has been announced. In the midst of controversy around its sell-off, the CWU, the main postal union, balloted around its members for industrial action on privatisation, [...]
Teachers to strike after failing to reach new pay deal with Gove September 5, 2013 BRITAIN’S leading teaching unions yesterday announced plans for a national strike in a dispute over the government’s attempt to introduce performance-related pay. The NUT and NASUWT announced plans for a rolling series of regional strikes during October, with a single day national walkout set to follow before Christmas. Teachers in London and the south east are set [...]
HS2 bill begins its long route to the starting line November 25, 2013 THE GOVERNMENT kicked off years of parliamentary jostling over the High Speed 2 project yesterday by publishing the law needed to start building work. The hybrid bill was hailed as a major step forward by supporters and a vanity project by campaigners attempting to block the scheme. The bill sets out street by street the [...]
Amazon unveils new Kindle Fire HDX tablets September 25, 2013 Amazon has unveiled two new Kindles. The Kindle Fire HDX includes a new feature which allows users to open an video chat with a tech-support to instruct the user how to operate the new device. Chief executive Jeff Bezos, speaking to reporters at Amazon headquarters in Seattle said of the new feature named the 'May Day [...]
Spirits at Marston’s pubs lifted by influx of Christmas diners January 22, 2013 PUB and brewing company Marston’s, known for beer brands such as Marston’s Pedigree and Hobgoblin, said comparable sales rose 5.8 per cent at its pubs in the Christmas holiday season. The company, which operates around 2,150 pubs across England and Wales, said like-for-like sales at its managed pubs in the three weeks ending 5 January [...]
Greene King enjoys record Christmas trading January 14, 2013 Pub group Greene King hailed a strong festive period this morning, as it posted record sales through Christmas and the New Year. Over the past six weeks, like for like sales growth came in at 2.8 per cent, and Greene King said it enjoyed record Christmas Day sales of £2.7m, up 6.8 per cent year [...]
Innovation Diary: British entrepreneurs aren’t lazy – but life could be getting easier for part-time small businesses October 22, 2013 NEW RESEARCH from Hiscox, the insurer, has turned some heads. Its fifth annual study into the entrepreneurial DNA has found that UK small business owners work an average of only 37.6 hours a week – down from 38.5 in 2012. Based on a relatively small sample of 3,000 business owners across six countries, the UK [...]