Hotel Chocolat looks beyond Europe and signs deal with Japanese corporation January 3, 2023 Leading British chocolate brand Hotel Chocolat is looking beyond Europe after Brexit and has signed a new partnership with a major Japanese corporation. The tabletop favourite has teamed up with the Tokyo-based Eat Creator Corporation, after trading in Japan for the last four years. The chocolate maker reported a £9.4m loss for 2022 loss in [...]
Legal talent war rages on as Baker McKenzie ups newly-qualified salaries to £118k July 6, 2023 Global law firm Baker McKenzie will increase the salary it gives to newly-qualified (NQ) London solicitors to a cool £118,000. The Chicago-based firm said effective as of 1 July, newly-minted lawyers will get a bump up from £110,000 a year. Last July, Baker McKenzie upped pay for NQs by £5,000. While many industries have been [...]
Sunak says Truss’ cost of living plan ‘won’t touch the sides’ August 8, 2022 Rishi Sunak has launched a fresh attack on leadership rival Liz Truss, saying today that her plan to make tax cuts next month won’t “touch the sides” for families facing a worsening cost of living crisis. Sunak said “bolder action” was required to “protect people from the worst of the winter” amid fresh predictions energy [...]
Letters: Climate should be a priority November 2, 2022 [Re: Why does Cop27 seem to be the party no one wants to go to?, Oct 31] It’s disappointing that our new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, doesn’t consider attending COP27 a priority. I appreciate his government has to deal with the UK’s cost of living crisis, but now is not the time to retreat from [...]
Chicken King’s empire still in the red despite sales passing £3bn May 8, 2024 The food empire run by the so-called "Chicken King" has spent another year in the red despite its turnover rising to more than £3bn.
West End braces itself for Black Friday spending boost November 23, 2023 Retailers in London are bracing themselves for the start of the Christmas spending period as a swarm of bargain hunting Brits are set to hit the West End this Black Friday. Unseasonable weather in both the summer and autumn battered the majority of retailers’ earnings over the first and second quarter of the year, so [...]
FTSE 100 close: London markets measured after strong week July 21, 2023 London markets stayed flat throughout Friday after a strong week, closing slightly higher and extending earlier gains caused by lower than expected inflation. The bluechip FTSE 100 was measured throughout the day and closed in the green at 7,658.53, while the midcap FTSE 250, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, [...]
Anti-strikes bill becomes law as unions vow to fight it ‘tooth and nail’ July 20, 2023 A law has been passed to curb the effect strikes can have on some key services. The Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Act has been granted Royal Assent, having cleared both Houses of Parliament after a protracted battle over its impact. The law will allow ministers to impose minimum levels of service during industrial action by [...]
Tories facing biggest by-election defeat in UK history as Nadine Dorries’ seat goes up for grabs July 3, 2023 The Conservative Party is facing the biggest by-election defeat in British history in Nadine Dorries’ Mid Bedfordshire seat, pollsters at Opinium have warned. Labour is set to overturn the former culture secretary’s 24,664 majority in the ‘safe’ seat, which has voted blue since 1931. Adam Drumming, from Opinium, said: “The Conservatives are holding onto just [...]
Exclusive: Steep surge in income tax and national insurance as higher taxes bite in cost of living May 26, 2022 The combined amount of Income Tax and National Insurance paid in the last twelve months has soared by 13 per cent to more than £387bn, new figures from HMRC show. The latest data from the taxman comes amidst the growing cost-of-living crisis, the Government is now likely to come under increasing pressure to alleviate the [...]