Inflation-linked benefits bill set to soar in 2012 October 18, 2011 BENEFITS will cost billions more due to soaring inflation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) claimed yesterday. Pensions, job-seekers’ allowance, incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance are all linked with consumer price index (CPI) inflation. Next April’s increases are calculated using September’s rate, the highest ever. When the Office for Budget Responsibility increased its inflation [...]
FTSE ends flat as S&P eyes Eurozone rating downgrades December 6, 2011 THE UK’s top share index ended flat yesterday, with banks and retailers falling and sentiment hurt as credit agency Standard & Poor’s warned of a possible downgrade to most Eurozone countries. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.76 points or 0.01 per cent at 5,568.72 following a see-saw session, having closed at [...]
FTSE ends flat as S&P eyes Eurozone rating downgrades December 6, 2011 THE UK’s top share index ended flat yesterday, with banks and retailers falling and sentiment hurt as credit agency Standard & Poor’s warned of a possible downgrade to most Eurozone countries. At the close, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.76 points or 0.01 per cent at 5,568.72 following a see-saw session, having closed at [...]
Prices tumble at UK’s stores November 8, 2011 PRICE wars between supermarkets are driving down the cost of food and other items, as stores fight for the attention of increasingly squeezed shoppers. Food was half a per cent cheaper last month than in September, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed this morning. Tesco has been pushing its “Big Price Drop”, while Asda’s “Price [...]
Prices tumble at UK’s stores November 8, 2011 PRICE wars between supermarkets are driving down the cost of food and other items, as stores fight for the attention of increasingly squeezed shoppers. Food was half a per cent cheaper last month than in September, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) revealed this morning. Tesco has been pushing its “Big Price Drop”, while Asda’s “Price [...]
London retailers unhappy over Olympics confusion September 12, 2011 RETAILERS have been left in the dark over transport plans in London during next summer’s Olympic Games, with a leading industry body urging Mayor Boris Johnson to shed some light on the authorities’ arrangements. “Retailers are being encouraged to put plans in place for next summer but that’s difficult to do without a full picture [...]
Sales rise for UK’s resilient retailers October 10, 2011 BRITISH shops have unexpectedly recorded growing sales in the three months to September, defying the wider economic turmoil. Like-for-like retail sales were 0.3 per cent up last month, compared to the same time in 2010, data revealed this morning. And the three-month weighted average – designed to iron out monthly volatility – showed like-for-like sales [...]
Retailers: Shop floor beats uni September 25, 2011 SHELF-STACKING in a supermarket from 16 can be a better career move than studying for A-levels and a degree, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will claim today. On-the-job training and good career prospects can be preferable to a longer formal education with higher debts, the industry body will say. Retailers invest an average of £1,275 [...]
Retailers: Shop floor beats uni September 25, 2011 SHELF-STACKING in a supermarket from 16 can be a better career move than studying for A-levels and a degree, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will claim today. On-the-job training and good career prospects can be preferable to a longer formal education with higher debts, the industry body will say. Retailers invest an average of £1,275 [...]
High Street boosts discounts September 25, 2011 HIGH street retailers stepped up the battle to win over cash-strapped shoppers this weekend by slashing prices and launching promotions, days after Britain’s supermarkets announced fresh price cutting campaigns. Top fashion retailers including Next and Gap launched a two day “flash sale” over the weekend, with items discounted at 50 and 30 per cent respectively [...]