Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can now apply for IT and digital support worth up to £2,000, after the UK IT Association (UKITA) joined the Government’s Growth Voucher programme. The programme aims to boost SME growth by subsidising the cost of specialist business support. Businesses must match the amount of any funding awarded and can […]
Consumer confidence has reached its highest level in almost 7 years and optimism is increasing among UK workers, according to a study by YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). The YouGov/Cebr Consumer Confidence Index is 113.9, the highest level recorded since July 2007. It now stands just 1.7 points under its […]
Pension contributions and childcare vouchers are the most commonly offered tax-efficient salary sacrifice benefit, according to research from Employee Benefits. Benefits Research 2014 found that 87% of employers that offer benefits via salary sacrifice allow employees to make pension contributions in this way. In 2009, 44% of employers allowed employees make pension contributions via salary […]
The UK group risk industry paid out £1.24 billion worth of claims in 2013, according to data published by Group Risk Development (GRiD). The statistics reveal that 24,102 people successfully claimed group risk benefits, which cover employees against health problems. The majority of claims in 2013 were for group income protection, with 14,501 employees awarded […]
Businesses in the service sector want to take on more staff as optimism rises, according to research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The survey of 151 businesses found that in the 3 months to May 2014, firms in the service sector hired more staff and increased spending on training. In the consumer services […]
Almost a fifth (18%) of those aged 55 or over say that not saving for retirement early enough is their biggest financial regret, research from Standard Life and YouGov has found. According to the survey, the 5 biggest financial regrets for those over 55 are: not saving for retirement earlier (18%) accumulating debt on credit […]
Company director bonuses have fallen by an average of 23% over the past year, according to a study by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The CMI’s National Management Salary Survey 2014 found that among over 68,000 executives, the average bonus for 2013 to 2014 was £49,767. This is the lowest figure for several years, with […]
The labour turnover among managers in the last year is at a record low, the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has found. Over the last 12 months, 4.8% of managers changed jobs, compared to 20% two years ago. The CMI attributes this slowdown to managers staying in their roles in the hope that they will benefit […]
CorpNordic Agent in a SEK 200,000,000 bond issued by Deltaco AB (publ) Deltaco AB (publ) (“Deltaco”) issued on 15 May 2014 a senior unsecured floating rate bond with a nominal amount of up to SEK 200,000,000 on the Swedish market. The bond has a 5-year maturity and a floating rate STIBOR 3m +4,00 per cent […]
The economy will grow 3% in 2014, up from a previous forecast of 2.6%, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). This higher growth means that the business group has brought forward its estimate of an interest rate rise. It now expects interest rates to increase from 0.5% to 0.75% in Q1 2015. Key […]
Dates are: Auckland from 12th Christchurch 15th – 16th returning to Auckland until 22nd and 23rd May, when he will be in Sydney. The NZ High-Tech award ceremony is taking place in Christchurch on 16th May, and Paul Beare will be in attendance. The awards will showcase Kiwi’s and promote the country’s high-tech successes on […]
A late Easter meant that total UK retail sales were up 5.7% in April 2014 compared to April 2013, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). On a like-for-like basis – which doesn’t include sales at shops open less than a year – retail sales were up 4.2% in April 2014 versus April 2013. Other […]