Business Budget backlash builds as hospitality giants write to Chancellor November 11, 2024 The government is under increasing pressure to revisit its hikes to employer national insurance contributions and the minimum wage after a number of the UK’s largest employers voiced concerns about the impact of the changes on their costs and operations. Over 200 of the UK’s biggest hospitality businesses signed a letter to the Chancellor yesterday [...]
IAG shares surge as British Airways owner launches new buyback November 8, 2024 IAG shares jumped 7.5 per cent in early deals this morning after the British Airways owner unveiled its third-quarter results for the three months to 30 September today. The company reported an increase in total revenue for the period of 7.9 per cent and an increasing operating profit of 15.4 per cent to adjust over [...]
Pizza Pilgrims’ co-founder on creating the perfect base for strong growth November 8, 2024 Pizza Pilgrim's co-founder Thom Elliot has hospitality in his veins. In just over a decade, he and his brother James have gone from growing up above a pub in Cornwall to opening their 25th pizzeria this November.
Fed cuts rates by 25 basis points just days after Donald Trump’s victory November 7, 2024 The decision, the second in the cutting cycle, was widely anticipated by markets and means the federal funds rate stands in a range of 4.50-4.75 per cent.
Prospect of fewer rate cuts buoys sterling and UK-focused stocks November 7, 2024 The pound and UK-focused stocks rose this afternoon after the Bank of England indicated it would take a more “gradual” approach to cutting rates in the year ahead. The Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted to lower the base rate to 4.75 per cent in a widely anticipated move that follows a sharp fall in [...]
The Bank of England has a lot to be cautious about November 7, 2024 The Bank of England's latest interest rate decision could hardly have come at a busier time.
Price rises loom as Budget hits Sainsbury’s with £140m costs November 7, 2024 Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts has cautioned that new government measures will hit shoppers with higher prices by adding £140m to the supermarket’s costs. These include a National Insurance hike, and a rise in the UK minimum wage. The increased National Insurance contributions, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Autumn Budget, will surge [...]
Sainsbury’s: FTSE 100 retailer warns Reeves’ budget may push up food prices November 7, 2024 Chief executive of Sainsbury’s Simon Roberts has warned that Reeves’ decision to increase employer’s national insurance contributions (NICs) by 1.2 per cent to 15 per cent next April could lead to price inflation. Sainsbury’s has estimated the cost of the change at £140m, according to the Guardian. “This industry operates on very low margins, and there just [...]
Bank of England cuts interest rates but warns Budget will stoke inflation November 7, 2024 The Bank of England's rate decision comes just a week after the Budget.
Salesforce cuts over 450 UK jobs as profit spikes November 7, 2024 The UK arm of cloud-based software giant Salesforce cut more than 450 jobs in the year its profit jumped by over 70 per cent. The London-headquartered division of the US group decreased its headcount from 3,427 to 2,964 in the 12 months to 31 January, 2024, newly-filed accounts with Companies House have revealed. The new [...]