The recent spells of hot weather have led to stronger than expected sales at Next, leading the fashion retailer to raise its full-year profit forecast.
Category: News
The latest news affecting small and medium sized (SME) businesses in the UK
Hundreds of UK firms face action over gender pay non-disclosure
Hundreds of companies face legal action after failing to meet an extended deadline to report their gender pay gap, Britain’s equality watchdog said.
RBS set for share sale after agreeing $4.9bn US penalty
Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed a $4.9bn (£3.6bn) penalty with US regulators, paving the way for the government to sell down its 70 per cent stake.
Britain suffers worst decade of productivity growth since 18th Century
Productivity levels in offices across the UK have fallen to a dramatic low, with a quarter of workers admitting they are unproductive for up to two hours a day, equating to a staggering 40 million hours in lost productivity across the UK every week.
UKs scale ups aren’t confident in meeting business challenges
New research into Britain’s scaling SME landscape has discovered that one third of growing businesses are lacking confidence when it comes to tackling their biggest and most pressing challenges.
UK SMEs start to explore new markets as they look beyond Brexit
Latest research data just released paints an optimistic picture for UK SMEs as they explore new markets beyond the EU with a one in four planning to export to a new country in the next quarter
HMRC issues warning on tax refund scams
HMRC is calling on people to stay vigilant in the fight against fraudsters, who are using email and text messages to scam them out of their savings.
Over 2.5M UK small businesses miss out on sales by not accepting credit cards
New research shows paying by card is the choice for the majority of the UK, with 64 per cent of people surveyed saying they would prefer a business that only accepted cards over one that only accepted cash.
Charity donations under threat by new GDPR regulation
A new survey of UK consumers shows younger people report giving more money to charities than the over 55s, challenging widely-held views that the older generation support good causes the most.
Coming out at work is still a problem in Britain’s workplaces
New research from Stonewall, Britain’s leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality, reveals troubling discrimination in Britain’s workplaces.
House of Fraser sells majority stake to Hamleys Chinese owners & plans store closures to survive
House of Fraser plans to close stores as new owners look to turn around the department store chain.
Oxford University’s newest start-up accelerator welcomes its first cohort
The Oxford Foundry is showcasing the first cohort of start-up teams to join OXFO L.E.V8, the University of Oxford’s newest start-up accelerator.
Judges joining Sir Richard Branson for Voom 2018 Final revealed
Founder of Innocent drinks Richard Reed, serial entrepreneur and TV presenter Sophie Morgan, founder and CEO of Tropic Skincare Susie Ma, and Virgin Media Business’ MD Peter Kelly will join Virgin Founder Richard Branson and bring their business expertise to the Voom 2018 judging panel
Brighton & Hove Council refuses Uber a licence saying it is not ‘fit & proper’ to hold one
Brighton Council will not renew taxi app Uber’s licence in the city because it is not a ‘fit and proper’ firm, it has announced today.
Bank of England could start using Spotify to help set interest rates
The Bank of England’s chief economist has urged bankers to look at the musical mood of the nation when gauging how an interest rate rise could impact on the economy.
