According to the latest Confederation of British Industry (CBI) distributive trades survey, the volume of sales on the UK High Street were lower this month versus a year ago. The figures suggest continue to be cautious about the economic outlook and rein in their spending on the back of rising unemployment, higher inflation and slow [...]
The John Lewis Partnership, which is regarded as a barometer of British retailing, has reported a marginal increase in sales and said trading conditions are “extremely challenging”. The renowned employee-owned chain, which owns the Waitrose supermarket chain, said sales rose 1% on a like-for-like basis in the six month period to 30 July. However, across [...]
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today revealed UK retail sales grew by just 0.2% last month – slightly less than the 0.3% expected by analysts. The slight gain was much slower than the 0.8% increase the previous month as households continue to be squeezed by higher inflation, rising unemployment and sluggish wage growth. [...]
Retail sales rose in July but conditions remain challenging as households continue to be squeezed by higher inflation and rising unemployment. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)/KPMG retail sales monitor, like-for-like sales rose 0.6% last month on an annual basis. On a total basis, meanwhile, sales were 2.5% higher, against a 2.6% increase in [...]
Chocolate retailer Thorntons has today announced plans to close 120 stores over the next three years. The firm also said, as part of a strategic review of the business, a further 60 shops could close as it blamed challenging trading conditions for the latest measures. The announcement comes just one day after it was revealed [...]
Bank of Ireland has today revealed it is looking to raise €2.2 billion (£1.86 billion) of capital, in a move designed to meet the conditions of the country’s bailout package. The capital raising would bring the crisis-torn lender close to nationalisation. The bank is currently 36% owned by the Government and the news emerged shortly [...]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has today announced that Greece has met the conditions of its loan and will therefore receive the third instalment of its bailout loan. In May, the EU and the IMF agreed to loan €110 billion. The three-year rescue deal comprises €80 billion from the EU, with the rest coming from [...]
Property website, Rightmove, has today reported a rise in asking prices in October – after three months of falls. According to Rightmove, asking prices for residential property in England and Wales rose 3% and the group attributed the rise to vendors refusing to adjust to new market conditions. Rightmove warned sellers that increasing their asking [...]
The European Union has today announced that Greece has met the conditions of its loan and will therefore receive the second instalment of its bailout loan on 13 September. In May, the EU and the IMF agreed to loan €110 billion. The three-year rescue deal comprises €80 billion from the EU, with the rest coming [...]
A quarterly survey by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has revealed a pick up in export growth due to a weak pound. Small and medium sized businesses in the UK noted that conditions were improving in demand and production of goods. The CBI said more than one third of 402 manufacturing firms reported an [...]
According to the Beige Book, an influential source of information released by the US Federal Reserve, over the last six weeks the US economy has deteriorated. The report, which is also used to determine interest rates for the nation and will be used at the next meeting, said an improvement was not expected before the [...]
Banking and insurance group, ING, is set to shed 7,000 positions from its workforce as it looks to save €1 billion (£949 million), as a result of challenging economic conditions. The job losses represent 5.4% of its 130,000 workforce but the Dutch firm has not given details yet as to where the jobs will be [...]
M&S Money launches 3% cash ISA
M&S Money has launched an Advantage Cash ISA paying 3 per cent, and which allows transfers in from other ISAs. It can be opened with a minimum deposit of £100 lump sum followed by minimum monthly deposits of £25. The 3% rate is variable, but there is no short-term bonus so the return won’t plummet [...]
Google suspends UK Compare Mortgages site
Google has closed its UK mortgage comparison site which it launched in July last year, after it proved to be less popular than expected. Mortgage comparison sites are designed to allow visitors to compare mortgages quickly and easily without having to visit each lender’s individual site. Google was competing with several well-established comparison sites, including [...]
AA launches ‘black-box’ policy for young drivers
The AA is launching an innovative car insurance policy called Drivesafe which could help younger drivers save up to £850 a year. Younger drivers already pay substantially higher premiums than other motorists and these costs are increasing. A new study by Confused.com suggests insurance costs for younger driver have gone up by 5.7 per cent [...]
ATOL scheme updated to protect online bookers
ATOL, a financial protection scheme managed by the Civil Aviation Authority, is being extended to protect up to six million more holidays a year. The scheme ensures that holiday makers do not lose out financially if a travel company collapses, and that they are not stranded abroad. An increase in the number of holidays booked [...]
Home repossessions lowest for four years
The number of UK homes repossessed fell to 36,200 in 2011, significantly below the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ forecast of 40,000, and lower than 2010 when 37,100 homes were repossessed. With interest rates remaining low and lenders adopting a sympathetic attitude to customers in financial difficulty, repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007. However, [...]
Monthly pay lasting just 17 days
Workers are running out of money just 17 days after receiving their monthly pay, according to new research by the Halifax bank. This means that the average UK worker spends half the month worrying about money. The study, based on the responses of more than 2,000 adults, found that 10 per cent of workers start [...]
Women disadvantaged by auto-enrolment changes
Government proposals to increase the auto-enrolment threshold to £10,000 could put 1.8 million women at risk of missing out on a pension, the TUC has warned. Under the auto-enrolment scheme, which will be phased in from October, private sector employers will automatically enrol workers between the age of 22 years and the state pension age, [...]
Emergency household repairs company Homeserve is taking longer than expected to get back on track after its operations were suspended last October. The company expected customer numbers to fall by 5% this year but it has increased this estimate to 8% and announced the loss of 200 jobs. It estimates that renewal revenue in 2013 [...]
Sale rumoured for Yorkshire and Clydesdale banks
There is growing speculation that National Australia Bank (NAB) may sell Yorkshire Bank and Clydesdale Bank after the Australian parent company announced a strategic review of the two banks’ operations. The Australian economy is performing well and NAB reported strong profits for the final quarter of 2011 but with the UK economy at a virtual [...]
More women experiencing debt difficulties
Women in Debt, which offers female-focused debt advice, has warned that the number of UK women facing serious debt has grown significantly over recent years. The organisation believes that more women will need advice on solving debt problems in the future because they are building up an unsustainable level of indebtedness. Women in Debt’s director, [...]
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