Q&A: Online routes for small businesses into high street retailers November 10, 2016 Britain's small businesses, however innovative, can find it difficult to get their products into shops, and an increasing number use online platforms that enable them to sell directly to customers. But there is a third way. Founded by Matthew Hopkins, who previously worked in licensed branding for the likes of Laura Ashley and Jamie Oliver, [...]
City Moves for 27 September 2016 | Who’s switching jobs September 27, 2016 Covington Graham Vinter, general counsel of BG Group from 2007 until 2015, has joined Covington’s London office. Graham will chair the firm’s project finance practice and supervise an expansion of the firm’s capabilities in this area. At BG Group, he was a member of the group executive committee and reported to the chiefexecutive officer. He was responsible for the company’s legal [...]
London is still number one for fintech – and now we’re going global September 6, 2016 Ten weeks on from Brexit, the City is back to business following the summer, and the fintech community is as busy as ever working through its plans for an ever-changing world. While the uncertainty of Brexit may loom for some time, London is still the number one fintech hub on the planet. We have created [...]
New poll claims the skills shortage is crippling the construction industry August 22, 2016 The skills shortage in the construction sector is at “breaking point” according to a new survey of project managers and contractors. Six in ten senior decision-makers in the industry said they believed the quality of their work was suffering due to a lack of experienced staff, while one in ten said low supply of skilled [...]
Britain has a golden opportunity to leapfrog the EU and secure a free trade deal with the Gulf States October 10, 2016 As Britain’s departure from the European Union draws closer, concern over the country’s economic prosperity is mounting. It shouldn’t. Britain has long-standing allies in the Gulf who will work hard to negotiate a free trade agreement that benefits all. The six Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar are part [...]
Finsbury Food Group cooks up tasty 40 per cent profit growth with the help of artisan breads and Disney cakes September 19, 2016 Profits were up a tasty 40 per cent last year at cake and bread supplier Finsbury Food Group, as demand for premium breads and Disney celebration cakes pushed up growth. The figures Group revenue rose 25 per cent to £319.7m in the year ended 2 July, while adjusted operating profit grew 38 per cent to £17.1m. Finsbury [...]
Opinion: Forget banning letting fees – it’s time we introduced compulsory regulation into the lettings sector December 2, 2016 Invent a snappy name, rent a shop and build a website – and, hey presto, you are now set up as a lettings agent. And until the Chancellor’s move to ban fees in the Autumn Statement, you could charge whatever you liked to tenants to handle the renting of a property. Unlike many of our [...]
Former Co-operative Bank boss admits misconduct October 28, 2016 A former boss of the Co-operative Bank has admitted misconduct and agreed to pay out £20,000 to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC). Barry Tootell, the chief financial officer and chief executive of the Co-Operative Bank between 2009 and 2013, was accused of not exercising due skill, care and diligence in managing the firm for which he [...]
All I want for Christmas is… an ultra-hard Brexit (and nine other pro-growth policy wishes) December 22, 2016 Here is my Christmas wish list for Santa. Ten policy measures which, if implemented, would make future growth prospects truly joyous, with Christmas every day of the week. But these are also economic policy measures Santa won’t be too familiar with, as he boards his sleigh somewhere north of the Nordic economies. I don’t pretend [...]
We should all be concerned by Britain’s anxious, insecure young people January 9, 2017 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” is the opening line of Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859. While the words were written over 150 years ago, I cannot think of a better phrase to encapsulate the situation facing young people in London and the rest [...]