Business News Articles

Bosses must have ‘World Cup strategy’
Half of employers in the UK are considering flexible working options during the World Cup but only 30% have a formal strategy in place, according to a survey by legal firm DLA Piper. Small and medium-sized companies are being warned of the dangers of not implementing a structured strategy to make sure all employees are given fair treatment. The survey also found that only 19% employers are a... more

House prices rise 0.2%
House prices in the UK rose by 0.2% in April, according to figures released by the Land Registerty. The data means that the annual rate of increase has risen to 8.5%. Separate data from financial information service Moneyfacts showed that the number of mortgage deals on offer has risen again. There were were 2,191 deals available at the start of June, requiring down-payments of between 0% an... more

BA and Unite holding further talks
British Airways and the union Unite are holding fresh talks today under the guidance of conciliation service Acas as they try and resolve their differences. BA staff are currently in the third day of a second five-day cabin crew strike, with a further strike due to commence on 5 June. The long-running dispute between revolves around pay and working conditions. A key issue in the discussions ... more

Number of job vacancies rises
The number of job vacancies in the UK increased slightly last month but the pay on offer declined, according to a survey by employment agency Reed. Reed have said that 1% more jobs were offered by firms throughout its service in May compared to April. However, the average wage declined by 3% to £31,800 in May, from £33,200. "While it is good that the job demand trend is upwards again, rec... more

Small companies confident over growth
The majority of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK expect to grow this year but are concerned that barriers like red tape will hinder their plans, according to research published by Siemens Enterprise Communications. Just under 80% of small firms expect to expand in 2010 but one third cite banks' reluctance to lend to business as the biggest barrier to their growth followed by 19% that... more

Apple launch iPad in UK
Apple have launched its new iPad in the UK almost two months after the product was launched in Amercia. People started queuing outside Apple's London store yesterday, eager to be among the first people in the UK to own the device. Apple boasts that the iPad is, "better than a laptop and better than a smartphone" but it remains to be seen how much use small and medium-sized business owners wi... more

Small firms warned over identity theft
As many as 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses have fallen victim to identity theft losing an average of £13,500 each, according to research by fraud prevention firm CPP. Fraud victims see their businesses credit rating negatively affected as a result and also suffer damages to their reputation and a loss of customers. One in five small firms admit they are vulnerable to to corporate ... more

Vat hike would cost ‘163,000 jobs’
Increasing VAT to 20% would cost thousands of jobs and put billions of pounds of consumer spending out of the economy, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC says rising VAT from its current level of 17.5% would result in 163,000 fewer jobs over four years and high street spending would decline £3.6bn. A study for the BRC by the Centre for Economics and Business Research ... more

Interest rates 'will rise soon'
Britain will raise interest rates sooner than expected and definitely before the end of the year, according to the world's leading economic think-tank. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said that with inflation still above the Bank of England's 2% target the rise in rates is unavoidable. Rates will need to be as high as 3.5% by the end of 2011, the OECD said -... more

Use of virtual offices soars
Small and medium-sized business owners are turning to virtual offices to cut costs and still present a professional image, according to data released by Regus. The serviced office provider has seen a significant rise in the number of firms taking up virtual offices, with the Luton branch seeing a 150% rise and Pall Mall in London increasing 90%. "With the UK now officially out of recession, ... more