Welcome to the blended office June 17, 2020 Since the scribes of ancient kings worked together under a sunshade, we have had offices. Offices survived the Black Death, the Red Death, Spanish Flu, and Ricky Gervais. Offices aren’t about to disappear — but they may now be changing more than ever before. We should be ready for change, but do not be surprised [...]
What 175 years of data tell us about house price affordability in the UK March 29, 2021 What we’ve learned from nearly 200 years of housing data – and is property really a better investment than a pension? We dug into the treasure trove that is the Bank of England’s Millennium of data resource to analyse the history of house prices. We found that the average house in the UK currently costs more than [...]
JD Sports scraps dividend as Covid-19 footfall slump hits profit September 8, 2020 JD Sports today said it would scrap its interim dividend after the sportswear brand reported a sharp fall in profit and warned of the continued impact of lower footfall. The figures JD Sports posted revenue of £2.5bn in the 26 weeks to 1 August, down 6.5 per cent on the same period last year. Pre-tax [...]
Office space provider IWG takes £156m hit on coronavirus crisis August 4, 2020 Office space provider IWG announced it will take a £156m hit due to the coronavirus pandemic as it shrinks its portfolio by four per cent amid a home-working boom. IWG’s share price dropped more than five per cent today after it announced it will accelerate its office closure plans due to the Covid-19 crisis, with [...]
Natwest to bring wealth management divisions under single leadership August 14, 2020 Natwest has today announced that it will bring all of its wealth management businesses under the single leadership of private banking chief executive Peter Flavel. In a bid to strengthen its relationship with its high and ultra-high net worth clients, the lender said the move would bring together Coutts, Adam & Company, Holt’s, Drummonds, PCAIS [...]
Locking down care homes risks the very lives we are trying to protect November 16, 2020 An overwhelming number of the UK’s elderly population are at risk — not just from Covid-19, but from our response to it. The recent news that Pfizer has developed an effective vaccine has been a source of optimism for millions, but mass immunisation is still a long way off. Many of our most elderly, especially [...]
UK examining how to reduce travel quarantine period using tests October 7, 2020 The UK is urgently looking into ways to reduce the 14-day travel quarantine period which applies to some passengers arriving in the country, transport secretary Grant Shapps said. Shapps said that a mixture of Covid-19 testing and self-isolation was promising, and announced the formation of a Global Travel Taskforce to open up international travel, which [...]
Healthcare firm unveils £10 rapid Covid-19 test for back to work push October 22, 2020 A private healthcare firm has unveiled a new low-cost Covid-19 test that it says could help get Brits back to work safely, though scientists have warned more development is needed. The finger-prick test returns results in 10 minutes and is priced from just £10. As well as checking for a Covid-19 infection, it can detect [...]
Coronavirus crisis set to wipe $17bn off sports sponsorship market May 18, 2020 Global sports sponsorship revenue will fall by $17.2bn (£14.1bn) this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new forecasts have revealed. Total spend is expected to reach just $28.9bn in 2020 — a 37 per cent fall year on year — as scores of live sporting events have been scrapped and businesses look to [...]
Card Factory scraps dividend as higher costs hit profit June 2, 2020 Card Factory today scrapped its full-year dividend as higher costs and the ongoing impact of Covid-19 weighed on profit. The figures Card Factory reported revenue of £451.5m for the year to the end of January, up 3.6 per cent year on year. Like-for-like sale dipped 0.5 per cent over the year. Underlying profit before tax [...]