Bank of England
Coverage examines how monetary policy decisions, inflation forecasts, and economic commentary from the UK’s central bank affect the foodservice and hospitality sector, including implications for interest rates, consumer confidence, borrowing costs, and business investment. Reporting is tailored to help operators, finance leads, and decision-makers understand the macroeconomic environment shaping trading conditions and long-term planning.
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Mar- 2020 -11 MarchBusiness
Bank of England cuts interest rates to help combat coronavirus impact
The Bank of England has cut UK interest rates back down to the lowest level in history to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on the economy. The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, announced the 50 basis point (0.5 percentage point) reduction, from 0.75% to…
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3 MarchBusiness Bites
Coronavirus is stepping up a gear – this could be serious
When I started this column back in December I did not anticipate a single subject would dominate it so much, but as I wrote last week it would be silly not to address the latest coronavirus circumstances given that each new development so far has had a profound impact on…
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Feb- 2020 -28 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Coronavirus sends ripples through markets, governments, companies and the public
Apologies for the repetition, but the new coronavirus is causing such a serious global reaction today it would be silly to focus on other things, so here are four key stories about what looks to be developing into a full blown international crisis. The FTSE 100 has lost nearly £200…
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19 FebruaryBusiness Bites
Inflation jumps, physical money nearing the end, immigration to prioritise skills, £150m film studio to launch
Inflation has reached its highest rate in six months, at 1.8%, after the price of fuel and energy rose over the course of the last year. The consumer prices index (CPI) which measures the rate by monitoring the price of consumer goods, was expected to come in at 1.6%, so…
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18 FebruaryRestaurants
Wright Brothers announces new London site
Seafood restaurant Wright Brothers has announced the opening of its latest London restaurant at 1 Frederick’s Place. The restaurant, founded by brother-in-laws Ben Wright and Robin Hancock, has secured a 6,000 sq ft space on the ground and basement levels of the grade II listed building at Frederick’s Place. Designed…
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Jan- 2020 -15 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Boohoo more valuable than M&S – a sea-change encapsulated
From a purely journalistic standpoint it is now a de facto cliché to refer to Marks and Spencer as the “high street bellwether”, yet that is the status it has held for so many decades. The once mighty monolith was the first British retailer to reach a market capitalisation of £1bn and…
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14 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Javid mulls three-year passenger duty holiday for Flybe
Things are not looking rosy for low-cost airline, Flybe, but the chancellor Sajid Javid may have some proposals that save it from complete collapse. It is reported this morning that he is considering cutting air passenger duty on all domestic flights – a big boon for all the other airlines…
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9 JanuaryBusiness Bites
Who would have thought skinny jeans could be anyone’s undoing?
It’s not often that the business pages give you a good belly laugh. But today we have the spectacle of Marks & Spencer blaming its poor Christmas trading results partly on an oversupply of skinny jeans for men. Apparently customer surveys revealed that the high street bellwether’s ranges were “too old” the…
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Dec- 2018 -4 DecemberBusiness
Food prices could rise 10% post-Brexit according to Bank governor
Food prices could rise by 10% following an “extreme” Brexit, according to Bank of England governor Mark Carney. Carney said that a softer Brexit would still see food prices rise by around 6% with Bank of England colleague Jon Cunliffe saying that the UK imports about half of its food…
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Nov- 2018 -1 NovemberBusiness
Bank of England puts hold on interest rates due to Brexit uncertainty
The Bank of England has placed interest rates on hold following growing uncertainty around Brexit. A vote to leave rates unchanged held by the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) was in favour of leaving rates at 0.75% by 9-0. Financial markets are currently indicating that rates will not rise until…
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