London Calling! Over two million tourists will visit this year in £674m boost to the capital August 1, 2023 London will welcome more than two million international tourists this year compared to last, bringing an additional £674m to the capital. As travel fully recovers post-pandemic, data from the London mayor’s office, shows that London was the top city in Europe for bed nights in 2022 with an increase of 131.5 per cent in 2021. [...]
Small business confidence slumps amid rising rates and stubborn inflation July 26, 2023 Confidence among small businesses slumped in the second quarter as the impact of rising rates and a stalling economy hit SMEs. The Federation of Small Business’s (FSB) Small Business Index fell to minus 14.2 points in the second quarter, down 11.4 points in the first quarter of the year. The fall in confidence reflects the [...]
Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon win pulls in nearly as many viewers as coronation July 17, 2023 Carlos Alcaraz’s thrilling Wimbledon triumph attracted a peak audience of 11.2m viewers on BBC One – just short of the number who tuned in for the coronation of King Charles. Alcaraz, 20, came from a set down to beat 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and win his first men’s singles title at the All [...]
FTSE 100 live: London markets rise after UK GDP contracts by less than expected July 13, 2023 London markets rose this morning, despite housebuilders slumping, after official figures showed that the UK economy contracted by less than expected. The FTSE 100 was trading 0.18 per cent higher at 7,429.68 while the midcap FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the health of the domestic economy, climbed 0.13 per cent to 18,604.03. Sentiment [...]
King’s coronation steers UK economy back into red as GDP shrinks 0.1 per cent in May July 13, 2023 Lost work owing to the additional bank holiday to celebrate the King’s coronation has sent UK economic growth into reverse, official figures out today reveal. UK gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.1 per cent in May, a much smaller drop than the City expected and down from a 0.2 per cent expansion in April, according [...]
Wage growth has ‘passed its peak’ as Andrew Bailey prepares to address City on interest rates July 10, 2023 Workers returning to the jobs markets and boosting the volume of candidates available to businesses are poised to put a lid on wage growth, analysts are predicting official numbers this week will show. Pay growth is said to have “passed its peak” after raging for more than a year, fuelled by staff demanding wage increases [...]
Rishi Sunak pays tribute to troops on Armed Forces Day June 24, 2023 Rishi Sunak has paid tribute to the “phenomenal precision and professionalism” of British troops as events are held across the UK to mark Armed Forces Day. Parades and flypasts will take place around the country to thank the military community, with Falmouth playing host to this year’s national event with a 1,000-strong tri-service parade of [...]
Soaring inflation forces Brits to tighten belts on groceries as summer clothes, DIY and fuel sales pick up June 23, 2023 Brits are still splashing the cash amid soaring inflation, with retail sales estimated to have increased by 0.3 per cent last month off the back of non-food splurging. The main driver of sales was online, with non-store selling volumes up by 2.3 per cent, while food store sales were down by half of one per [...]
Whitbread: Premier Inn owner thanks London travel boom for hike in hotel sales June 22, 2023 Tourists flocking to London for the King’s coronation helped bolster Premier Inn owner Whitbread’s trading in the first leg of the year, as the hotel group revealed an 18 per cent hike in sales. As Brits embraced travel and leisure after the pandemic, the chain of affordable hotels said sales across its 800 strong portfolio [...]
Buckaroo to play Games with his Wolferton rivals June 19, 2023 AS HAS become the norm at Royal Ascot, the five-day meeting gets underway with the Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) and this year’s renewal, on paper at least, looks a cracker. The market is finding it hard to split Inspiral and MODERN GAMES, but while I respect the former hugely, I’m firmly in the latter’s camp. [...]