How to invest in a recession – staycations and drinking at home will become trendy again if there’s a downturn July 27, 2016 One month on from the Brexit vote and the UK economy seems in a precarious state. Economic activity is slowing, and economists have warned there’s a risk of a recession this year. The out vote has, in the International Monetary Fund’s words, put a spanner in the works. The value of the pound has fallen too, [...]
Are you constantly connecting with work? June 20, 2016 Findings of a recent survey carried out by Arlington Research on behalf of OneLogin, a leader in cloud-based identity and access management, are telling. Out of the UK employees questioned a quarter of them admitted that work apps are the first thing that they check on their mobile devices when they wake up, coming ahead [...]
Food sales lead May uplift for UK pubs and restaurants June 11, 2015 Britain’s pubs and restaurants enjoyed brisk trading in May, offsetting what had been a slow start to the year in the sector. Figures released yesterday by the Coffer Peach Business Tracker revealed like-for-like sales climbed 2.1 per cent compared to the same period last year. The strong growth comes after the tracker, which analyses sales [...]
Peter Thiel-backed “Airbnb for work space” eyes London July 4, 2016 Move over co-working spaces, there's a new way of working in town. A US startup similar to Airbnb but for renting office space and meeting rooms in the short-term that's backed by Peter Thiel's Valar Ventures has expanded to London. Targeting startups which often want to keep costs low, as well as those looking for a more professional alternative [...]
Is exercise the future of networking? A new generation of workers are choosing Asics over Aperol July 21, 2016 Spritzer or sprint finish? For years, summer in the City has involved the same vintage, slightly pedestrian routine. Workers spilling out onto every available inch of pavement to enjoy the evening sun with a glass or two of their favourite tipple. A new generation of City workers, however, is choosing a different way to socialise and [...]
Budget 2016: Brewers call on chancellor George Osborne to announce a fourth consecutive cut in beer duty February 29, 2016 Surprise, surprise: the British brewing industry is calling on chancellor George Osborne to once again cut beer duty in next month's Budget. If Osborne were to axe the tax on booze on 16 March, it would mark the fourth consecutive annual cut in beer duty. In a 23-page submission to the Treasury today, the Society of [...]
Four extra-curricular career boosters that will make your CV stand out from the crowd September 20, 2016 What with algorithmic bosses and a Brexit-induced hiring freeze, how do job candidates stand out from the crowd in 2016? University qualifications are a given, not a bonus, and those working in the City will likely already have a depth of relevant experience. For employers, picking has never been harder. One technique that promises at [...]
Popped corks as Greene King-Spirit pub partnership gets green light June 22, 2015 Pub operator Greene King yesterday toasted the competition watchdog’s approval of its £774m takeover of Spirit. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was satisfied the proposed sale of 16 pubs by the combined group would fix concerns raised by the company’s acquisition of Spirit Pub Company, and would not be referring the [...]
Wetherspoon’s boss: Everyone cheer up about Brexit July 13, 2016 All this doom-mongering has become too much for Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin, who finally came out and said it this morning: everyone needs to cheer up about Brexit. Martin, who in the run-up to the referendum was so passionately pro-Brexit he had special beermats printed, hit back at "unprecedented and irresponsible doom-mongering", warning that all [...]
Facing the muzak: Imagesound’s Derek Mapp talks jazz, Aim and Black Sabbath March 7, 2016 Lift music, or muzak, has got a bad name. But since the 60s, studies have found that in-store background music directly affects customer shopping behaviour and the amount they spend. With the high street relying more and more on a better shopping experience, ambience is everything. In 1998, angel investor Derek Mapp helped to found Muzak [...]