Plan B curbs deliver chilling blow to London business confidence January 12, 2022 The chilling impact on the UK economy inflicted by the reimposition of Covid-19 restrictions has whacked business optimism in London, reveals a new study released today. A sharp hit to consumer confidence from plan B measures to curb the spread of Omicron has weakened the trading environment for the capital’s businesses, leaving them sweating over [...]
Joules shares plunge after news of CEO departure and ‘more challenging’ market May 4, 2022 Premium British lifestyle group Joules posted strong revenue growth this morning, up 20 per cent for the quarter ending 1 May.
Amazon seizes more than three million counterfeit products as ecommerce giant cracks down on fraud June 8, 2022 Amazon has seized more than three million counterfeit products in the last year and referred more than 600 criminals for investigation as the tech firm tries to stamp out fraud. In its latest Brand Protection Report, the ecommerce giant revealed it has invested more than $900m and had more than 12,000 people—including machine learning scientists, software developers, and [...]
UK housebuilding tumbles into ‘stagnation’ amid reversing economy June 8, 2022 Higher raw material costs and ongoing supply chain disruption clamped down on the UK construction sector last month, according to a closely watched survey released today. Construction businesses cut back on activity amid rapid cost inflation persisting in May making projects unviable. Just over seven in 10 firms said input prices climbed in May, driven [...]
Terrible Thursday for Barratt as energy prices and inflation take their toll on Britain’s biggest housebuilder July 14, 2022 Barratt Developments revealed this a.m. the company is facing a rise in build costs of up to 10 per cent as soaring energy prices and inflation take their toll. Britain’s biggest housebuilder said build cost increases have escalated to between 9 per cent and 10 per cent, up from around 6 per cent over the [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? April 13, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. LHV UK Fintech and crypto banking services provider LHV UK has bolstered its board with an independent non-executive director. Stepping onto the board at the beginning of May, Keith Butcher joins the City based firm with a raft [...]
UK business sentiment hits 12-month low amid supply chain and inflation woes November 15, 2021 British business sentiment dropped to its lowest level in a year in October, dragged down by fears of looming inflation and supply chain pressures that could undermine a sustained recovery from Covid disruption. Inflation expectations among UK business leaders surge to a record high last month, with 66 per cent expecting non-staff costs to increase [...]
Pubs and bars anxiously wait to see if Omicron headlines have impacted customer confidence December 1, 2021 Hospitality firms are anxiously awaiting to see if Omicron variant headlines have hit consumer confidence. The bosses of both Loungers’ and Marston’s told CityA.M. that it was too soon to tell if bar goers had been deterred from making trips to venues after news of a new Covid variant. Loungers’ CEO Nick Collins said he [...]
EU to drop pre-departure tests for UK travellers ahead of Easter break February 22, 2022 The EU is set to scrap pre-departure testing for fully vaccinated travellers from 1 March, in time for the Easter break. The European Council approve the move this morning, and it will apply to all those who have received either a second or booster dose within 270 days before their arrival into the bloc. Underage [...]
Home buyers warned cut in stamp duty will lead to big jump in monthly mortgage bills September 21, 2022 Home buyers could end up paying much bigger monthly mortgage bills if the government goes ahead and scraps or cuts stamp duties. Ahead of Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget on Friday, The Times reported that radical plans to cut stamp duty are in the pipeline as part of efforts to boost economic growth. Downing Street refused [...]