Sports Direct shares drop with M&A chief’s sudden exit February 17, 2015 SPORTS Direct’s share price fell more than four per cent in morning trading yesterday after it emerged that its mergers and acquisitions boss Jeff Blue was leaving the retailer. Blue, a former Merril Lynch banker, was hired two years ago to spearhead takeover deals for Mike Ashley’s high street giant. He was also standing in [...]
Budget 2015: Who were the winners and losers? March 18, 2015 Winners Pubs and drinkersThe Budget will be a boon for the country's pubs, bars and restaurants, as well the drinkers who frequent them. Beer duty was cut buy one penny per pint while duty on both cider and whisky received a two per cent cut. Meanwhile, the tax on wine and tobacco will also be [...]
How Greek game theory could lead to a win-win situation in the Eurozone February 20, 2015 Meetings to discuss the future of Greece are no playtime for the leaders of Europe, but that doesn't mean the country's finance minister isn't using game theory to ensure the best possible outcome for his strugging economy. Yanis Varoufakis was an academic and researcher of the technique before he went into politics. In [...]
Mood on the high street hits nine-year high June 26, 2014 CONSUMER confidence in the UK has swelled to the highest levels in nine years, with sentiment continuing to improve as the recovery rolls on, according to a major survey. GfK’s latest survey of consumers, announced this morning, has risen back into positive territory for the first time since 2005, ending almost a decade of negativity. [...]
Gimme 5: Blogs for entrepreneurs February 1, 2015 Richard Branson’s blog The business heavyweight shares his expertise on everything from how to write a complaint letter, to why a three-day week could work. He’s happy to share personal stories and ways of working, to help you on your way. www.virgin.com/richard-branson The Entrepreneurial Mind This is the blogging home of Jeff Cornwall, chair of [...]
Weak inflation helps to boost family finances June 23, 2014 Households have more spending power than at any time in the past four and a half years, with less pressure on essential spending and especially energy bills. Lloyds Bank’s latest barometer of consumer confidence reached 146 in May, according to research released this morning, well above the 100 level set in January 2010. The index [...]
The number of sick days we take has plummeted – but the reason behind the ones we do take is worrying February 24, 2015 The number of sick days we take has plummeted, a new study has found – but the number of days we take due to depression, anxiety and stress has risen. Using data from 68 GP surgeries across the nation, researchers found fewer periods of sick leave were taken between 2011 and 2013 than [...]
Defined benefit pensions axed from big firms January 18, 2015 Fewer of the UK’s largest firms are offering substantial defined benefit (DB) pension schemes. The number of FTSE 100 companies offering sizeable DB schemes dropped from 65 to 56 in the 12 months to September, according to figures released yesterday by consultants JLT Employee Benefits. A DB scheme is defined as sizeable if the costs [...]
Europe unlikely to pull plug on Greece’s banks February 17, 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) is unlikely to end emergency lending to Greek banks today despite a standoff between Europe and Athens. Only last week, the ECB extended the cap on emergency funding (ELA) to Greece by €5bn (£3.7bn) to €65bn. “There is no sudden end of ELA expected this week,” a person familiar with the [...]
Parking app Just Park now tapping crowdfunders for growth capital February 12, 2015 Just Park founder, Anthony Eskinazi, tells Oliver Smith, his clients will race to invest in the parking app Parking app Just Park, which hooks drivers up with parking space owners, will look to raise £1m through crowdfunding platform Crowdcube. The London-based startup, that enables you to find a space, book it and navigate to it, [...]