Business news

Q1 economic growth confirmed at 0.3 per cent

pw_admin — Fri, 24 May 2013 08:42:59 +0000

The UK economy grew by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year, official figures from the Office for National Statistics have confirmed.

Inflation falls to 2.4 per cent

pw_admin — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:23:10 +0000

Inflation in the UK fell to 2.4 per cent in April after lower than expected fuel prices, figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown.

Tax credit errors cost £2.3 billion in 2010-11

pw_admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:51:06 +0000

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is to miss its target to reduce tax credit error and fraud by £5 billion, a report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said.

Scotland 'can afford' independence, says First Minister

pw_admin — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:05:59 +0000

Scotland can 'more than afford to be a successful independent country', Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has said.

Retail footfall figures up one per cent

pw_admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:56:30 +0000

Retailers experienced a one per cent increase in footfall in April, when compared on a like-for-like basis with April 2012, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium.

Uncertainty over financing later life needs

pw_admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:51:35 +0000

Just under a third of adults in the UK do not know how they will meet their financial needs later on in life or in retirement, research from National Savings and Investments has revealed.

Businesses say high streets 'can be revitalised'

pw_admin — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:09:25 +0000

More than half of independent retailers in England think that their town centre is performing 'poorly' but 70 per cent think that better relationships with local authorities would improve the situation, according to research from the Federation of Small Businesses.

Bank raises economic growth forecast

pw_admin — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:44:43 +0000

The Bank of England (BoE) has upgraded its UK economic outlook and said that inflation is now weaker than originally predicted three months ago.

G8 expected to boost Northern Ireland economy

pw_admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:05:42 +0000

Businesses in Northern Ireland are expecting a £40 million boost from the G8 Summit being held in County Fermanagh next month, research carried out by the Northern Ireland Centre for Economic Policy (NICEP) has found.

Unemployment increases slightly in first quarter

pw_admin — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:47:44 +0000

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the employment rate for those aged 16-64 fell by 0.2 per cent in the first quarter of the year, when compared with the final three months of 2012.