Poll finds one-third of over-50s go to more festivals now than they did in their youth, as lineups also get olderMore than one-third of people over the age of 50 go to more music festivals now compared with when they were younger, a study had found.Older music lovers in the UK have caught the so-called “festival bug”, data from Saga shows. Continue reading...

14 Jul 2023 12:53 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

ScottishPower expects Hagshaw Hill to produce five times as much energy with half the turbines by early 2025Hornsea Four offshore windfarm given green light after five-month delayOne of Britain’s oldest onshore windfarms will soon be “repowered” so it can generate five times as much green electricity as it did in 1995 – with almost half as many turbines.The owner of the Hagshaw Hill windfarm, ScottishPower, began dismantling 26 turbines on its site in rural South Lanarkshire on Wednesday. Continue reading...

13 Jul 2023 05:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Shoppers snap up barbecue food, swimwear, beach towels, outdoor games and garden furniture in June Britain’s retailers recorded a sharp rise in spending in June as hot weather prompted consumers to buy summer clothing and outdoor goods, despite growing pressure on budgets from the cost of living crisis.The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said sales increased by 4.9% in June, above the annual average growth rate, as shoppers hit the high street to buy swimwear, beach towels, outdoor games, garden furniture and barbecue food. Continue reading...

10 Jul 2023 23:01 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Stroll down Britain’s canals these days and you’ll encounter waterside businesses of all kinds trading out of narrowboats. Here, five floating traders share their storiesWhen Stuart Fenwick first moved to London seven years ago, he spent a lot of time on foot exploring the capital’s towpaths. His wanderings prompted a recurring dream in which he ran a floristry studio aboard a narrowboat. “I’ve been working with flowers since I was 15 and I’ve always wanted a shop, but could never really afford it,” he explains. “The overheads in London are just too high and unfortunately, retail floristry has been in decline for a long time.” Fenwick found the solution in Bria – a 42ft narrowboat that roves the city’s waterways. Continue reading...

29 Aug 2021 12:00 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

Pocket Living boss on how his small flats give first-time buyers a foot on the urban property ladderMarc Vlessing, a property developer, says he would be happy to be put out of a job. In an attempt to attract first-time buyers who might otherwise be unable to afford their own homes, his business, Pocket Living, builds smaller-than-average flats with lower-than-average price tags.It is a business model whose success is based on the fact that so many have been priced out of city living by the housing crisis. Perhaps it would be a good thing if Pocket’s niche did not exist? Continue reading...

05 Sep 2021 12:32 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

James Timpson has employed ex-prisoners since 2008 and says putting trust in people pays offFor James Timpson there is nothing charitable about employing former prisoners. The head of the high street shoe repair and locksmithing firm Timpson – which had a turnover of £209.3m last year – insists he is the “most commercially minded person you will ever meet”, but that employing ex-offenders makes good business sense because “the people we recruit from jails are so bloody good”.Since 2008, when he opened a shoe repair workshop in HMP Liverpool (no key-cutting skills were practised), his company has employed more than 1,500 ex-prisoners. Just four have returned to jail. Many of those who turned their backs on crime – including some with drug and alcohol issues – have progressed to senior roles in the company, including a current board member. Continue reading...

02 Aug 2021 13:41 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN

From badges to foam hats, switch to selling quirky items has offered financial respite during pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSmall online sellers who were affected by the pandemic have switched to selling quirky vaccine-themed items in order to regain income lost.On the shopping platform Etsy items such as “Vaccinated” badges, Moderna cup holders and “Pfizer alumni” T-shirts have been big sellers, and have provided small businesses with economic respite after the ravages of last year. Continue reading...

04 Apr 2021 17:25 ✍️ RSS THE GUARDIAN