Red tape to blame for City skills shortage: Demand for professionals stays strong but supply hampered by UK immigration rules July 7, 2015 Tough immigration rules and excessive regulatory standards has left City firms with severe skills shortages, according to new surveys. Growth in the number of jobs secured dropped to a two-year low in June, data released today by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation revealed. Demand for professional workers – which covers finance, law and IT among [...]
Sterling strength puts dent in annual results for law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer July 7, 2015 International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer saw revenues increase just one per cent for the year ending 30 April. The London-based legal practice blamed strong currency headwinds for the results, saying today that revenues increased by four per cent on a constant currency basis. Freshfields also reported a drop of one per cent in net [...]
Marks & Spencer AGM: Setback for M&S as clothing sales slide off hanger July 7, 2015 Investors and retail observers allowed themselves a small sigh of relief in April when Marks & Spencer brought 14 consecutive quarters of falling general merchandise sales to a halt. After efforts to improve the quality and style of its clothing and to win back disillusioned customers, it seemed to have broken a spell. [...]
Smiths Group share price dips as Andrew Reynolds Smith set toreplace Philip Bowman July 7, 2015 Engineering company Smiths Group has named Andrew Reynolds Smith, currently chief executive of GKN Automotive, as replacement for outgoing boss Philip Bowman. Reynolds Smith will join the firm as chief executive on 25 September. News of his appointment failed to stoke up enthusiasm among investors, instead pushing shares in the company down by 4.91 per [...]
Shop prices fall as retailers woo shoppers with summer offers July 7, 2015 Shop prices fell in June for the 26th consecutive month albeit at a slower rate, as retailers continue to battle to win over shoppers. Prices fell by 1.3 per cent on the year, so said the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen, from the 1.9 per cent drop for May. Food prices fell by 0.4 [...]
Rebound in the confidence of London firms after General Election July 7, 2015 London business confidence has rebounded after the General Election, new survey figures show. However, large sectors of the national economy are still struggling for momentum. An improvement in economic growth over the next year is expected by 49 per cent of London business leaders, according to a survey from the London Chambers of Commerce and [...]
Greek debt crisis: Tsipras wants a “final exit” from the crisis July 7, 2015 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said the country will seek a "final exit" from the crisis by submitting a reform-for-aid proposal by the end of the week. "The discussion was held in a positive atmosphere. The process will be fast, it starts in the coming hours with the aim of concluding it by the [...]
Greek crisis: Alexis Tsipras fresh bid to win aid from creditors July 7, 2015 Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras launched has a bid to win aid from the country's "troika" of creditors at a crucial emergency Eurozone summit today that could determine its future. Unconfirmed media reports have suggested Greece is proposing an interim funding agreement to tide the cash-strapped country over, followed by a longer one. It comes [...]
South Western trains franchise going to tender July 7, 2015 The South Western rail franchise will be put out to tender, it has been announced by the Department for Transport. The franchise is currently run by a subsidiary of transport operator Stagecoach Group – Stagecoach South Western Trains. It had previously been given the franchise by Direct Award negotiations – granted by the government [...]
Glencore share price falls as FTSE miners feel the heat from commodities selloff July 7, 2015 London-listed miners felt the heat today after the outlook for the Chinese economy darkened amid ongoing equity market turmoil. Earlier in the day copper prices fell 5.9 per cent to a six-year low of $2.389 a pound on concern about economic growth in China, the world's top metals consumer. It comes a day after Chinese brokerages [...]