News

September 11, 2025

Aldi Leads the Way on Pay: Is High Pay a Good Approach?

Aldi introduced a pay boost last week for its store assistants that will see their pay rise to at least £13.02 per hour nationwide, making it the first UK supermarket to pass the £13 mark. Within the M25, rates will start at £14.35, rising to £14.66 with length of service. All staff, regardless of age, will receive the same minimum rate – well above the new National Living Wage of £12.21.

September 10, 2025

Rising Borrowing Costs Put Pressure on the Chancellor

The UK government is facing a fresh financial squeeze after long-term borrowing costs climbed to their highest level in a generation. The yield on 30-year government bonds (known as gilts) has reached 5.72% – the highest since 1998.

October 2, 2024

Chancellor pushes for e-invoicing: What you need to know

The Chancellor unveiled a series of announcements last week that could have implications for UK businesses. One of the most relevant for business owners was the government's push for electronic invoicing (e-invoicing).

September 30, 2024

Chancellor’s speech takes optimistic tone on economy

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, gave an important speech at the Labour Party conference last week, in which she appeared to shift tone to speak more positively about the economy.

September 25, 2024

Procurement Act 2023: Implementation delayed to February 2025

The government has announced a delay to the start of the Procurement Act 2023, moving the commencement date to February 2025.

September 23, 2024

Amazon ends hybrid work policy: Is it time to reconsider remote working?

Amazon has announced the end of its hybrid work policy, with corporate staff expected to be back in the office five days a week starting in January. Previously, staff had the flexibility to work from home two days a week.

September 16, 2024

UK economy flatlines again

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics last week show that the UK economy showed no growth in July 2024. This is the second month in a row as there was also no growth in June.

September 12, 2024

Plan 1 student loan interest rate to change to 6%

The Plan 1 student loan interest rate reduced to 6% (from 6.25%) from 30 August. This rate change applies across the UK with the Department for Education (DfE), the Welsh Government and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland (DfE NI) all confirming the change.

September 11, 2024

Barratt Developments' profit drop sends ripples through construction and property sectors

Barratt Developments, the UK's largest housebuilder, has reported a significant decline in pre-tax profits, down by three-quarters for the year ending June 2024. This comes as the company completed just 14,000 homes, a sharp decrease from 17,000 the previous year, with forecasts suggesting even lower figures of 13,000 to 13,500 homes for the upcoming year.

September 9, 2024

Public sector procurement: Missed targets and opportunities for SMEs

A recent report by the British Chambers of Commerce and Tussell has highlighted the ongoing challenges the public sector faces in meeting its procurement targets for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).