UK Holiday Property Investment September 27, 2022 7% fixed NET return1 The UK holiday industry has shown signs of a strong recovery from the disruptions posed by the global pandemic. Research by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecast that the UK’s travel and tourism sector’s contribution to the economy could rise to £192 billion in 2022. The British public have [...]
Meet the founder who built a global business by renting out her wardrobe March 5, 2024 How could she – as a “shopaholic” herself – make a difference in the fourth most polluting industry in the world?
SMEs crushed by lack of funding as MPs scrutinise lenders on borrowing November 1, 2023 One in ten small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) that have struggled to access financing eventually folded, according to a survey of 500 business leaders, as MPs scrutinise the sector's lenders.
Ageas’s interest Direct Line shows just how far the UK’s insurers have come since Covid March 9, 2024 And it is hard to overstate how difficult personal line insurers—by which we mean insurers whose customers are people, as opposed to businesses—like Direct Line, Admiral and Aviva have found business in the post-pandemic era.
Liz Truss cost of living support fails to prevent new consumer confidence low September 23, 2022 Liz Truss’s cost of living support has done nothing to lift Brits’ optimism out of the doldrums, a closely watched survey published today reveals. Consumer confidence collapsed five points over the last month to minus 49, the lowest since research firm GfK started tracking the figures in 1974. The survey was carried out between early [...]
Co-operative Bank posts profitability for fifth quarter in a row May 5, 2022 The Co-operative Bank has achieved profitability for its fifth quarter in a row, after posting pre-tax profits of £30.5m. The Manchester headquartered bank said its profits had increased for the fourth consecutive quarter, as its earnings were bolstered by its mortgage business. The bank said its net income had increased 36 per cent year-on-year [...]
Brits sit pat on Covid-19 savings mountain in sign of tougher recession November 29, 2022 Brits are sitting pat on the mountain savings they built up over the course of the Covid-19 crisis during lockdowns, official figures out today reveal. Households set aside £6.4bn in savings last month, £1.6bn higher than the average monthly deposit flow before the pandemic, according to the Bank of England. The figures illustrate consumers are [...]
Is it over now? Where next for the banking crisis in Europe April 7, 2023 Is that it? After a few weeks of exhilarating volatility, European banking stocks have settled into a more reliable pattern. It seems dramatic regulatory interventions have stemmed the possibility of immediate financial difficulties. The question now is whether the events of the past few weeks are symptoms of wider financial problems which will be brought [...]
Virgin Money shares slide as profit falls by a quarter on higher provisions for bad loans May 4, 2023 Virgin Money’s pretax profit slipped by a quarter in the six months to March as the bank set aside more funds to cope with expected impairment losses. Richard Branson’s challenger bank recorded £144m in provisions for bad loans compared to just £21m in the same period last year. Its shares were trading over five per cent [...]
Renters’ protection on the cards as competition watchdog launches probe into housing malpractice and land ‘banking’ February 28, 2023 Housing tenants could be given extra protections and housebuilders forced to change their practices, the competition watchdog has warned. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced a probe into the building and rental sectors, saying it would “need to find” any competition issues that might be holding back house building in the UK. “The [...]