UK M&A deal values more than halve as global tensions take their toll August 6, 2019 The value of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in Europe slumped during the first six months of 2019, as geopolitical concerns took their toll on the continent’s financial services industry. In the UK investors completed 97 deals totalling £6.3bn over the first half of 2019, plunging by more than half from £13.5bn when 103 deals [...]
Bank and government support to UK firms tops £100bn September 22, 2020 Struggling UK companies have now received more than £100bn worth of support from banks and the government through various coronavirus stimulus schemes, official figures have shown. UK banks have lent out more than £58bn to hard-hit companies through the government-backed coronavirus loan schemes, according to Treasury figures out today. HMRC figures showed that companies have [...]
Nation of beer drinkers: Brits spend extra £2.1bn on booze in lockdown December 18, 2020 Booze-drinking Brits spent an extra £2.1bn on alcoholic beverages this year as they stocked up on lager, wine and spirits while pubs were closed during lockdown. Despite its name, Corona was one of the lager brands to toast the largest growth, with sales up £68m compared to last year. Lager was the fastest growing drink [...]
Electric cars will lead to a design transformation on the scale of iPhones & Apple laptops March 6, 2021 There was a golden age of car design that ran from the mid 1950’s to early 1970’s. Cars like the Jaguar e-type, Ferrari Dino, or Pontiac Firebird emerged; they were not only engineering miracles, but objets d’art. During this time, the imagination of the auto industry was running wild, setting out ambitious visions of the [...]
Just Eat has created a magic wand for ordering takeaway food December 8, 2017 The new must-have gadget to show off to friends is here. Forget the Alexa or the Apple Watch, because Just Eat has today launched a trial of a magic wand for ordering takeaways. The suspiciously elongated gadget is the latest addition to the crowded British mantlepiece, and will enable users to order Chinese with the [...]
The government’s short-term ‘cures’ are doing far more damage than the virus itself September 29, 2020 For the best part of this year, our societies have been torn apart by this Covid-19 pandemic. It has thrown challenges to all businesses and all people in almost every country around the world. My home country, Italy, was the first in Europe to see how devastating this virus could be. We all remember those [...]
Sunak slashes VAT on hospitality and tourism to five per cent July 8, 2020 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has slashed VAT on hospitality and tourism from 20 per cent to 5 per cent for six months, as the government seeks to revive the UK economy after months of lockdown. In an unprecedented announcement in the Commons today, Sunak vowed to cut the VAT rate from next Wednesday until 12 January [...]
Tax less, spend more: the Chancellor’s Summer Statement July 8, 2020 The Chancellor delivered an Economic Statement that may not have been heralded as a Budget, but nonetheless delivered some significant changes to the country’s taxation and spending regime. In what was clearly a ‘Tax Less, Spend More’ statement, Rishi Sunak delivered not just a VAT cut for the few, but spending grants for the many. [...]
Back to Business – James Cochran on how the pandemic helped him launch a long-planned project August 15, 2020 We talk to London’s top chefs about how they are dealing with the strange ‘new normal’. This week James Cochran speaks about launching a new venture and missing the theatre of service. Who are you? James Cochran, co-owner and executive chef of 12:51, a casual fine dining restaurant in Islington. Around the Cluck is our [...]
Debate: Will digital retailers continue to hoover up high street chains? January 27, 2021 Boohoo’s purchase of the Debenhams brand, and Asos’ pursuit of Topshop, suggests that the online revolution has very much succeeded. But is it that simple? Vicky Bullen, CEO, Coley Porter Bell says YES You don’t have to be Mike Ashley to spot the enormous opportunity in online retail since the coronavirus pandemic hit. Never before [...]