Rick de Blaby is at the forefront of the UK’s nascent build-to-rent sector. But can he calm nerves over the transformation of bustling Elephant & Castle?A new “town centre”, a cluster of four buildings with towers of varying heights, is springing up at Elephant and Castle, one of the busiest junctions in south London, to replace the demolished 1960s shopping centre.Residents and local traders have expressed fears it will turn into “another Westfield with all sorts of chain shops”, as local Liberal Democrat councillor Maria Linforth-Hall put it. But Rick de Blaby, chief executive of Get Living, the company behind the project – which has built and manages 4,000 rental homes, including the former Olympic Village in Stratford – is adamant this won’t happen. Continue reading...

14 May 2024 13:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

As brick-and-mortar retail stores compete with e-commerce, chains are spending heavily to immerse customers in bespoke fragrancesWhen Dallas Pratt worked at an outpost of Aesop in an outdoor shopping mall outside Chicago, one of her and her co-workers’ favorite ways of drawing in new customers was making a concoction they called “sidewalk tea”. They would put a few drops of scented lotion in a cup of hot water, and then they would pour it on to the slab of concrete outside the shop. As the water evaporated, the smell of the lotion would fill the air.“It drew people in,” Pratt tells me. “They asked questions. They spent time.” And, crucially, they bought stuff. Continue reading...

08 May 2024 11:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Figures provide mixed message for Bank of England when it considers interest rate cut next monthUK unemployment may not reach its worst, but rebound will stallBusiness live – latest updatesThe level of real pay for UK workers is rising at its fastest rate in more than two years despite a cooling of the labour market that has led to rising unemployment and falling job vacancies, the latest official figures show.Fresh data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the mild recession in the second half of 2023 has had an impact on demand for workers but has been slower to affect wages. Continue reading...

14 May 2024 06:59 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Treasury committee says ‘debanking’ and use of personal guarantees for loans is putting small businesses at riskUnfair banking practices and “damaging” financial regulators are harming small businesses and putting innovation and growth at risk, parliament’s Treasury committee has warned. A report from the committee’s inquiry into access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) said a lack of supportive policies were compounding problems for firms that had survived a “torrid” five years, which included the global pandemic and energy crisis.“Confidence amongst SMEs in accessing finance has fallen and acceptance rates for business credit has lowered significantly,” the report said. Continue reading...

07 May 2024 23:01 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Telecoms company is awaiting a decision from the UK regulator on its potential merger with ThreeBusiness live – latest updatesVodafone has said its turnaround plan is starting to show results as Germany, its largest business, returned to growth last year after the sale of its Italian and Spanish operations.The telecoms company has been undergoing a transformation programme under its chief executive, Margherita Della Valle, who has sought to simplify the group and taken action in three underperforming markets where Vodafone’s returns were below the cost of capital. Continue reading...

14 May 2024 09:26 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Sector wants tax cuts, better buying incentives and more electric charging points as sales in EVs stallCar manufacturers have called for urgent action to reignite the switch to electric vehicles, after sales figures showed slowing demand among ordinary motorists for battery-powered cars.While overall UK registrations grew by 1% in April year-on-year to 134,000, the increase was caused by fleet sales, with private buyer sales down by almost 18% on last year. Continue reading...

07 May 2024 13:48 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

But Dale Vince’s Ecojet plane will run on kerosene-based fuel in 2024 to enable quick start to projectThe green energy tycoon Dale Vince is planning to launch Britain’s first electric airline in a move designed to prove polluting industries can decarbonise.Ecojet, styled as a “flag carrier for green Britain”, will launch early next year with a 19-seater plane travelling on a route between Edinburgh and Southampton. Continue reading...

16 Jul 2023 23:01 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN