Borrowing to invest is all very well but what about value for money? October 23, 2024 The precise contents of the budget are still secret. But a widely trailed theme is that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, wants to create as much scope as possible for extra public sector investment. She appears to be willing to rewrite the existing fiscal rules in order to accommodate the increase. In principle of course there [...]
Virgin Wines: Revenue flat as it looks to weather bottleneck in market October 22, 2024 Online wine seller Virgin Wines has reported flat year-on-year revenue as it searches for ways to acquire loyal customers and increase efficiency in a tough trading environment. Total revenue remained at £59m in the year ended 28 June, while profit before tax increased by £2.4m to £1.7m, from a loss of £0.7m in 2023. Adjusted [...]
Shoe Zone shares slide: Profit nearly halves as costs put the boot in October 22, 2024 Affordable footwear company Shoe Zone has reported a drop in revenue and profit as weak demand and high costs weigh on the high street retailer amid a revamp of its physical estate. Revenue fell by 2.7 per cent to reach £161.3m in the year to 28 September, down from £165.7m in 2023. Profit before tax [...]
National Insurance hike will be ‘difficult’ for businesses, warns CBI boss October 15, 2024 Increasing employers’ National Insurance contributions will make it “harder for businesses to create the jobs and the growth” needed to “help fund our public services”, the boss of one of the UK’s largest business groups has warned. Speaking a day after Keir Starmer refused to rule out hiking National Insurance contributions paid by businesses, Rain [...]
Arsenal are overachieving in the Premier League, but do fans appreciate it? October 10, 2024 In a parallel universe, Arsenal have already beaten Manchester City to the title. Forget Pep and Mikel’s inflamed war of words in this season’s scrap for the Premier League trophy; the Gunners have bagged the prize for outperforming their playing budget. Football, though, must ultimately be about fans’ dreams, not investors’ and bank managers’ bottom [...]
Storm’s brewing as Tetley Tea braced for further strikes October 9, 2024 Tetley, one of the nation’s favourite tea brands, is braced for further disruption as a major row over pay continues. The GMB Union has announced 12 more strike dates which will see almost 150 workers walk out in a dispute over what it describes as “poverty pay”. The dates of the planned industrial action are [...]
A ‘New Deal’ for fewer jobs and worse pay? October 8, 2024 Labour’s promise of a ‘New Deal for Working People’ is deliberately worded to evoke the era of Roosevelt, when major federal interventions supposedly shook America out of the Great Depression and conclusively demonstrated the benefits of Keynesian economics. But even Keynes knew it was more complicated than this. Alongside stimulus, he wrote that reversing a [...]
A wake up call: Why a talented public sector is key to protecting democracies October 8, 2024 Democracies rely on governments running a public sector that can attract the country's top talent, writes Shmuel Chafets
Win a dream house for £10? How Omaze found controversial success in the UK October 7, 2024 Luxury house prize draw Omaze has found booming success in the UK, but not everyone's happy about it. Anna Moloney examines why.
Britain’s economy can’t run on industrial nostalgia October 7, 2024 Just because an area like Port Talbot once supported a particular industry like steel, there’s no reason the state must ensure it always does, says Eliot Wilson When the government announced last month that it would give Tata Steel £500m to modernise its facility in Port Talbot, I noticed a revealing remark. The business and [...]