Hybrid working is becoming more and more engrained, with workers now splitting their time between city centre offices and suburban and rural workspaces. New data reveals that office attendance in January is up by 40% year-on-year, while demand for IWG space outside city centres grew 36 per cent in 2022. IWG’s latest office footfall data […]
Restructuring specialist Begbies Traynor Group says its finances have been boosted by the collapse of Paperchase earlier this year. Begbies Traynor was appointed as administrator after the struggling stationery chain failed to secure any buyers. The retailer’s 106 branches could face closure after Tesco agreed to buy the brand but not its stores or workforce. […]
HSBC’s and Lloyd’s rival plans for the futures of their London headquarters have revealed a growing split in attitudes towards the long-term prospects of working from home. Lloyd’s of London is reportedly in talks to extend the lease on its iconic City headquarters as it works to bring staff back into the office in resisting […]
The organisers of the world’s largest trial of the four-day working week have launched a drive to persuade more companies to try the idea, after receiving global coverage. The 4 Day Week Campaign said it aimed to persuade hundreds more companies to adopt the four-day week – crucially with no loss of pay for workers […]
A firm that fixes smartphones is calling for an official device repair apprenticeship to be introduced. In 2022 there were almost 72 million mobile phone connections in use in the UK. But repair firm TMT First, which introduced its own apprenticeship after struggling to find staff, points out there is no industry training standard. By […]
Banks are reducing their appetite to fund small and medium-sized companies, according to brokers handling loan applications. Asked by the alternative lender iwoca if high street banks were becoming more cautious, 82 per cent of the brokers said that they were, with 49 per cent saying they had seen more applications rejected in December compared […]
The UK’s former chief Brexit negotiator has urged the Government to “fully and enthusiastically embrace the advantages of Brexit” as he warned of a plot to undermine the agreement. Lord Frost referred to a “secret” cross-party gathering on foreign affairs, which was held at the Ditchley Park retreat in Oxfordshire last week, as “a further […]
The UK telecoms regulator has launched an investigation into the industry-wide practice of hitting broadband and mobile customers with inflation-busting price rises of up to 17% and could bring in tougher protections against hefty mid-contract increases. Ofcom, which in December launched a separate investigation into the sales tactics used by telecoms companies, said it could […]
New research suggesting the self-employed sector’s contribution to the UK economy fell by an estimated £25bn in 2022 is a “wake up call” for government to change course on its agenda for the nation’s smallest businesses, the UK’s freelancer trade body has said. The findings, released today by IPSE (the Association of Independent Professionals and […]
One of Britain’s biggest investment platforms has added its voice to a campaign to scrap stamp duty on investment trust share purchases after calculating that its clients alone had paid £30 million in the tax over the past three years. Interactive Investor, which has about 400,000 clients, called the levy on investment trusts “anti-competitive and […]