Brexit wrecks it: Brits shun big ticket buys July 4, 2016 The future of retail was uncertain even before the country voted to leave the European Union. Now, grocers and high street department stores have more than just discounters and the internet to deal with: they have to navigate changing trade relationships, weather a possible downturn in consumer sentiment, and adapt to shifting spending patterns as well. So what’s next for UK [...]
Lord Owen and Lord Lawson: Stop dithering. We must leave the EU ASAP July 4, 2016 It is unsurprising that the people who prophesied doom and disaster if the UK voted to leave the EU are finding it so hard to instil confidence in the policy they never believed in. Whoever is the new Prime Minister must enter Downing Street ready with clear views to discuss with a new Cabinet and when agreed [...]
Eurosceptic MPs lambast law firm for Article 50 legal action July 4, 2016 Eurosceptic MPs have hit out at a London law firm after it revealed it was prepared to launch legal action over the triggering of Article 50, which would begin the UK’s formal exit from the EU. Mishcon de Reya announced last night that, on behalf of an unnamed group of clients, it had started to pull [...]
Companies aim away from junior market flotations amid Brexit uncertainty July 4, 2016 The London Stock Exchange’s alternative investment market (Aim) has shrunk by 60 companies in the last year, according to new research. In the year to June, there were 40 new entrants onto the market, while 100 exited. In the same period across 2014 and 2015, there were 70 new listings and 100 delistings. UHY Hacker Young’s research [...]
Customers could be offered O2 shares as Telefonica nears IPO July 3, 2016 Customers of O2 could be in with a chance of buying shares in the firm if its stock market float goes ahead. O2 Priority, which normally provides customers with early access to things like concert tickets, is being considered as a vehicle for a customer share offering, it was reported in the Sunday Telegraph. O2’s Spanish [...]
Osborne to slash corporation tax to below 15 per cent in bid to create a “super-competitive economy” July 3, 2016 George Osborne is planning to slash corporation tax to below 15 per cent in a bid to create a "super-competitive economy". The cuts are part of the chancellor's plan to attract businesses discouraged from investing in Britain following Brexit. In an interview with the Financial Times, Osborne said he wants Britain to boast the lowest corporation tax rate of [...]
Business confidence steady on eve of EU referendum July 3, 2016 On the eve of the referendum UK businesses were feeling optimistic about the future and were ramping up production, a new survey from the CBI has shown. In a survey of businesses conducted in the weeks before the 23 June vote, manufacturers, retailers and services firms reported little sign that pre-referendum nerves were holding them [...]
Independent Scotland could become “Greece without the sun” July 3, 2016 Scotland could end up going the way of Greece if it voted to leave the UK in order to remain a member of the European Union as an independent country, a new report has argued. The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned Nicola Sturgeon the economic case for independence is even weaker than it was [...]
Gutterball: Bowling alley firm postpones flotation plans after Brexit July 3, 2016 A bowling alley firm has pushed back its plans to float on the stock market following last month’s Brexit vote. Hollywood Bowl had planned to launch an initial public offering (IPO) this month. But the plans have now been pushed back towards the end of the summer. Elsewhere, Sky News reported that NewDay, which provides store cards [...]
Queen Elizabeth advises Scottish MSPs to stay calm and think things through carefully July 2, 2016 Queen Elizabeth told the members of the Scottish Parliament today that keeping a cool head is the key to good leadership. Her advice comes after the financial markets were rocked by the outcome of Britain's referendum, both the Conservative party and the opposing Labour party are grappling over leadership questions, and Scotland's leader Nicola Sturgeon has [...]
