House prices are falling at their fastest rate since 2009, according to the latest poll of surveyors. A net balance of 68 per cent of property professionals in August reported declining house prices, marking the most negative reading since the financial crisis, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, which cited the impact of […]
Despite a challenging economic environment, 101 new businesses were created every hour across the UK in the first half of 2023, according to new. Analysis of Companies House data reveals that over 436,000 businesses were registered in the UK between January and June 2023, an increase of 8% from the 402,000 set up over the […]
The rise of contactless card payments has brought the slow demise of old-fashioned notes and a pocket full of change, or so we thought. But it turns out cash is back as Britons try to manage tighter budgets in the cost of living crisis. Cash payments rose for the first time in a decade last […]
The Range, the value retail chain, has struck a deal to buy the Wilko brand from its collapsed rival’s administrators. It is understood that The Range, founded and owned by Chris Dawson, has agreed to pay in the region of £5m for the Wilko name. The deal is expected to be formally announced later today. […]
Four people have been charged in connection with the collapse of Patisserie Valerie – a bakery chain that once had almost 200 stores. The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it related to an investigation that began in October 2018 – just two days after the company abruptly suspended trading, with more than 900 jobs and […]
France has ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12 for emitting too much electromagnetic radiation. On Tuesday, the French watchdog which governs radio frequencies also told the tech giant to fix existing phones. The ANFR has advised Apple that if it cannot resolve the issue via a software update, it must recall every iPhone […]
The UK government has handed £1bn out to small firms via its start up loans scheme. The programme, created to help entrepreneurs start and scale up their business has now provided the funding to over 100,000 businesses across the country. Delivered through the state-owned British Business Bank, the Start Up Loan scheme was developed and […]
The state pension is likely to rise by 8.5% in April after data crucial to the so-called triple lock was published. The policy means the increase in the state pension is the highest of average earnings, inflation or 2.5%. Those earnings – which are total pay, including bonuses – were recorded at 8.5%, and the […]
A pint of beer during the busiest periods will cost drinkers 20p more under a “dynamic pricing” system introduced by Britain’s largest pub group. Stonegate Group, which owns chains including the Slug & Lettuce and Yates’s, said it was raising prices at 800 of its venues during peak times, such as weekends, to help cover […]
Thousands of high-value manufacturing jobs are at risk because Britain’s largest train assembly plant is due to run out of work by the end of the year after delays in the contract to build high-speed rolling stock for HS2. Ministers are being warned that if the factory, with a workforce of 2,000, is mothballed, 1,400 […]