Daily feed of the best news affecting your small and medium sized business SME / SMB from media and websites in Britain and across the world
The country’s factories are reporting bumper order books – bolstered by the weak pound in the wake of the Brexit vote and stronger eurozone economy. A closely watched survey of firms’ expectations for the third quarter of the year showed output rising for 34 per cent of the companies questioned by business advisory firm BDO […]
Fall in the value of vintage vehicles comes after years of demand that have made them a strong investment, says Coutts bank
People who voted for Brexit made a “stupid” decision which could still be reversed by the British public, one of the EU’s most powerful officials said yesterday. Martin Selmayr, chief of staff to the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said it was “legally” possible for the UK to reverse its decision to leave, reports The Telegraph. His […]
Six areas in the UK will soon be trying out broadband technology that provides data at speeds approaching one gigabit per second (gbps). Businesses, schools and hospitals will be the first to try out the “full-fibre” network technology, reports The BBC. The pilots will be run in Aberdeenshire, West Sussex, Coventry and Warwickshire, Bristol, West […]
Theresa May is gearing up to lift the cap on public sector workers’ pay this month, as she attempts to win back voters and get her leadership back on track. The Prime Minister is planning to end the one per cent cap on rises for all public sector workers – which has been in effect […]
Fresh food could be left rotting at the British border if strict customs controls for EU goods are put in place after Brexit, Sainsbury’s chief executive has warned In a direct intervention into the Brexit debate, Mike Coupe said anything disrupting established food supply chains, currently governed by EU customs arrangements, would be “detrimental”, reports Sky […]
Staff in Cambridge and Crayford branches to protest over low wages and zero-hours contracts in action backed by Corbyn McDonald’s faces its first strike since it opened in the UK in 1974, as well as protests by unions and the public at several restaurants over pay and working conditions, reports The Guardian. About 40 staff […]
Three former Tesco directors will stand trial on Monday to face charges over the company’s £263m accounting scandal Christopher Bush, Tesco UK’s former managing director, Carl Rogberg, the company’s former UK finance director, and John Scouler, its former UK food commercial director, have been accused of abusing their positions to falsely inflate the grocer’s profits […]
Volkswagen UK is offering customers discounts of up to £6,000 to trade in diesel vehicles when buying a new car. All the Volkswagen UK brands – including Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles – will participate, reports The BBC. VW launched a more generous scheme in Germany in August in the wake of its […]
The UK’s manufacturing industry smashed expectations in August, after data showed growth in the sector jumped to a four-month high. Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector rose to 56.9, up from 55.1 in July, and against expectations of a fall to 55. Any number above 50 suggests growth in the sector’s output, reports […]
Premier League clubs have smashed summer transfer window spending records for a sixth consecutive year, according to analysis of their activities. Figures from Deloitte’s sports business group showed the 20 top-flight teams collectively spent £1.43bn during the break between seasons – a rise of 23 per cent on the previous year, reports Sky News. They […]
Former BHS owner claims Labour MP has seen leaked details of regulator’s inquiry into retailer’s £571m pension black hole. Sir Philip Green has threatened the MP Frank Field with legal action after the Labour politician claimed to have seen leaked details of the official investigation into the BHS pension crisis, reports The Guardian. Last week Field […]
Members of the Lloyd’s of London insurance market have filed a legal challenge to Kanye West’s claims he was owed $10m for the cancellation of last year’s Saint Pablo tour, according to reports. In a counterclaim filed with a Los Angeles federal court yesterday, Lloyd’s syndicates said West’s Very Good Touring Inc had failed to co-operate when […]
Royal Mail is to be relegated from the FTSE 100 nearly four years after its controversial privatisation. Shares in the delivery business have fallen more than 15 per cent so far this year as it faces a cocktail of headaches including declining letter volumes and rumblings of industrial action, reports Sky News. Its price was […]
‘Penny-pinching’ Bedfordshire hub receives lowest ever score in annual poll of passengers carried out by Which? Luton airport has been named the worst in the UK for the fifth consecutive year, after passengers branded it a “rip-off” charging penny-pinching prices despite constant overcrowding, reports The Guardian. The Bedfordshire hub received a score of 29 per cent, […]
