Lloyd’s of London plans clamp down on harassment and bullying March 24, 2019 Lloyd’s of London plans to overhaul workplace culture following reports of sexual harassment and bullying at the 330-year-old insurance market. The company intends to call an emergency meeting with senior staff members to set out ways to make it easier for employees to make formal complaints, the Sunday Times reported. Read more: Lloyd's of London [...]
UK coronavirus: Brighton GP practice closes after positive test February 10, 2020 A GP practice in Brighton has closed after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus, it is reported. The County Oak medical centre in Brighton closed this afternoon, urging patients to contact the NHS 111 phone service with any health concerns. It came as the government upgraded coronavirus to a “serious and imminent” threat [...]
British pubs closing at rate of two a day since April business rates hike | City A.M. February 5, 2018 Two pubs a day have shut their doors since last April, according to new research. Some 616 pubs have been demolished or converted to other uses since the change in business rates came into force, real estate adviser Altus Group has said. But the overall rate of decline has slowed since the decade following the [...]
British Land offloads Sainsbury’s superstores for £429m to cut retail exposure April 23, 2019 British Land has sold a swathe of Sainsbury’s superstores for £429m as it ploughs ahead with a plan to reduce its exposure to retail property. Read more: British Land swings to £42m loss as retail market hits portfolio value The FTSE 100 landlord revealed this morning that it is selling 12 superstores from its joint [...]
Profits fall at The Restaurant Group after £559m Wagamama merger March 15, 2019 The Restaurant Group has posted a drop in profits for last year as well as warning of falling like-for-like sales, but said its controversial takeover of Wagamama will prove “transformative”. Read more: Like-for-like sales fall at The Restaurant Group despite Wagamama boost The figures Adjusted profit before tax slipped eight per cent year on year [...]
England cricket chiefs must build on the foundations laid by remarkable World Cup win July 15, 2019 In January the England and Wales Cricket Board released a 35-page document entitled Inspiring Generations, which set out the governing body’s five-year plan to drive youth participation and diversify cricket’s fan base. One of the six priorities outlined was to “inspire through elite teams”. Sunday’s remarkable events at Lord’s have handed the ECB an opportunity [...]
Confidence hits new low but spending climbs amid sunny weather April 9, 2019 Confidence in the UK economy tanked to its lowest level in five years last month, as shopping sentiment wavered in the wake of Britain’s imminent departure from the EU. Uncertainty over Brexit has pushed confidence to its lowest level since Barclaycard began recording data in 2014, with almost seven in ten respondents saying they are [...]
Raising the bar: Beer firm Brewdog kicks off sixth fundraising round with £1m prize draw April 8, 2019 Brewery chain Brewdog is to launch a sixth fundraising round, which features a prize draw to win £1m worth of shares in the firm. The firm announced the equity fundraising at its general meeting last week, which comes in a bid to raise £7m and expand its shareholder base to 200,000 people. Read more: Brewdog [...]
JD Wetherspoon faces opposition to finance director’s pay rise November 4, 2018 JD Wetherspoon may be hit with a shareholder revolt at the pub chain’s annual meeting this month over proposals to boost the finance director’s pay by more than 10 per cent. Proxy advisers ISS and Glass Lewis have recommended that investors oppose a 12.3 per cent increase in salary for finance chief Ben Whitley to [...]
Why did Lush, Apple and Wetherspoons quit Twitter? May 13, 2019 Tapping into a dissatisfaction with social media, cosmetics firm Lush recently announced that it would move away from it, justifying its decision by drawing attention to the financial and ethical cost of using social media. The move marks Lush as the latest brand to take a new approach online. It’s a global brand, whose environmentally-conscious [...]