British Gas: Just 4pc applying to engineering roles are women August 9, 2015 British Gas has revealed that just four per cent of applicants to its technical and engineering apprenticeships are women. Since conducting an analysis of its intake, the company has launched a recruitment drive targeting young women, hosting open days and launching a new mentoring programme. Claire Miles, managing director for HomeCare at British Gas, said: [...]
Hobbs’ losses widen after costly revamp August 9, 2015 Womenswear retailer Hobbs saw losses widen to £15.6m last year, despite a slight pick-up in sale as its new management team struggled to turn the chain around. The brand, whose fans include the Duchess of Cambridge, suffered a £15.6m pre-tax loss in the year to 31 January, up from £14m last time. Turnover rose from [...]
UK oldest bank C Hoare & Co comes into digital age with fresh app August 9, 2015 C Hoare & Co, the UK’s oldest private bank, is moving into the digital age with the launch of a mobile app. The bank, which has offered services to figures such as Lord Byron and Jane Austen, will launch the app more than 340 years after its historic foundation in 1672. The creation of a [...]
London house prices up 45pc in five years: Home movers put off as figures soar August 9, 2015 The number of people moving home is in decline, new figures out today show. Rising prices, which many attribute to a lack of house building, may be hindering people from moving up the rungs of the housing ladder, according to the study from Lloyds Bank. The number of home movers reached 155,000 in the first [...]
Hotels and restaurants lead the UK’s summer spending splurge August 9, 2015 Britons are splashing out more this summer, according to figures released today by a major card provider. Spending on hotels and restaurants was 8.6 per cent higher in July than in the same month last year, Visa said. Shoppers also spent 5.6 per cent more on recreation and culture. It took total spending growth (not [...]
Professional jobseekers spoiled for choice as competition for workers increases August 9, 2015 Professional workers are seeing more competition for their skills, a recruiter said today. Available candidates are being scooped up, with 22 per cent fewer jobseekers in July than in the same month last year, according to figures given exclusively to Morning Wire by Robert Walters. Meanwhile, opportunities are on the rise with 9,585 vacancies in [...]
Apple supplier Foxconn invests £5bn in India August 9, 2015 Electronics maker Foxconn is investing $5bn in a new factory in India, as the Apple supplier seeks to mitigate rising wage costs in China. Foxconn has announced the new manufacturing facility will be in the western state of Maharashtra, and the $5bn investment over the next five years marks one of India’s largest foreign-investment deals [...]
Pret a Manger float? No IPO appetite from owners Bridgepoint August 9, 2015 Bridgepoint, the private equity owner of Pret a Manger, has poured cold water on a report that it could potentially float the lunchtime favourite of City workers. The sandwich chain already has interest from potential bidders, Reuters reports, and is considering a market listing for 2016, maybe in the US, citing unnamed sources. A Bridgepoint [...]
Decline in Brits abroad as holidaymakers opt to stay home this summer August 8, 2015 The UK economy is recovering and consumer confidence is increasing – but not enough to encourage the majority of people to holiday abroad this summer. Read more: Why taking a holiday is vital to productivity Less than half of people in the UK will travel to other countries this year, a reduction on the 56 per [...]
Here’s what we can learn from the 10 biggest deals in pharmaceutical history August 7, 2015 The pharmaceutical world is abuzz about a major deal struck between AbbVie and small biotech company Pharmacyclics last night. The US pharma giant bought Pharmacyclics for a massive $21bn (£13.8bn), after fending off fierce competition from the likes of Johnson & Johnson. Why? To get its hands on the firm's super-successful cancer drug Imbuvrica, whose [...]