Financial news

• A £1,300 jacuzzi and other extravagant baby gadgets

  28-02-2018 22:43
  Ashton Kutcher has been singing the praises of an £800 robotic crib for his young child – but what other outrageous gizmos are available for kids of the 1%?Being the newborn child of a celebrity has its ups and downs. You’ve probably got a silly name. On the other hand, you might be getting rocked to sleep by an £800 robotic crib. Such has been the fate of Dimitri Kutcher, the one-year-old second son of actors Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher.Interviewed on a recent episode
  
  Read more

• Wholesale gas prices more than double as freeze drives demand

  28-02-2018 20:43 via theguardian.com
  Concern over level of shipped supplies and plant outages as public usage spikes in cold snapWholesale gas prices in the UK more than doubled on Wednesday to their highest level in at least 10 years, as freezing temperatures across Britain drove a spike in demand and raised fears of a supply shortage.Within-day prices rose 108% to 160p per therm, after hitting am earlier peak of 190p per therm. Day ahead prices were up 6p at 95p. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Prezzo restaurant chain to close a third of its UK branches

  28-02-2018 19:02 via theguardian.com
  1,000 jobs at risk as Italian food outlet seeks company voluntary arrangement to reduce rentsThe Italian restaurant chain Prezzo is to close a third of its 300 UK branches, putting about 1,000 jobs at risk, the latest victim of the casual dining crunch.The chain, owned by the US private equity group TPG Capital, hopes to engineer a turnaround plan echoing steps taken by the burger chain Byron and Jamie’s Italian to keep themselves afloat. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Thousands of jobs at risk as Maplin and Toys R Us fall into administration - as it happened

  28-02-2018 18:48 via theguardian.com
  UK retail gloom as two chains employing 5,500 people call in the administratorsBREAKING: Maplin calls in administratorsWeak sterling and low consumer confidence blamed2,500 jobs at riskEarlier:Toys R Us has fallen into administration
  Attempts to find a buyer seem to have failed
  Stores will keep trading ‘until further notice’3,000 staff face uncertainty 5.48pm GMT Time to wrap up, before wrapping up to face the snow outside....Toys R Us and Maplin have entered administration on the sa
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• A visit to Toys R Us or Maplin shows why they are doomed

  28-02-2018 18:29 via theguardian.com
  Visitors to the stores can’t find what they want and know it’s cheaper on eBay or AmazonAfter hearing the news that Toys R Us UK was to go into administration on Wednesday morning, removal men Mark Connor and John Banks decided to pop into the business’s tired-looking store on the outskirts of Manchester city centre for a “nostalgia trip”. “It’s like a relic from the 80s,” said Banks. “The last time I came here, I was playing with Transformer
  
  Read more

• Baby boomers had it tough: even sex was scarce | Letters

  28-02-2018 18:09
  Most of us grew up without central heating, writes Margaret Davis, so do our relatively deprived youths give us any rights to a moderately comfortable old age? Plus letters from Pam Lunn and Neil WalshAs a 70-year-old baby boomer I read and learned from Phillip Inman’s article (Battle lines are drawn between young and old, 26 February). As usual, though, there is no comparison made between the life circumstances experienced during the youthful years of baby boomers and those of today&rsquo
  
  Read more

• Want to future-proof your business? Try a customised learning programme

  28-02-2018 17:22 via theguardian.com
  The world of work is rapidly transforming, driven by the acceleration of digital technology and changing social trends – so how can business leaders best adapt? Working with London Business School could give you the edgeChange is nothing new. The past two decades have seen the workplace transformed by digital advances. Gone are many traditional structures and practices, replaced with new ways of doing business, designed to support collaboration and digitally-enabled remote and flexible wor
  
  Read more

• Barometer shows that manufacturers must improve productivity to meet expected sales

  28-02-2018 16:24 via feedproxy.google.com
  SMALL to medium-sized manufacturers must improve productivity by unlocking ‘their own hidden potential’ if sales and profits growth are to meet expectations – according to the latest National Manufacturing Barometer.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Toys R Us and Maplin: what are consumers' rights?

  28-02-2018 15:58
  The stores have gone into administration, leaving shoppers concerned if they can return items or use gift cardsToys R Us and Maplin are the latest stores to call in the administrators, and over the coming months other retailers are likely follow suit. What are your rights you have if you have bought or intend to buy items from a company that falls into administration?A key decision will be whether or not the administrators decide to continue to accept gift cards. For this reason consumers who st
  
  Read more

• What can investment companies do for a stocks and shares ISA?

  28-02-2018 15:51 via feedproxy.google.com
  With the end of the tax year drawing near, time is running out for investors to make the most of this year’s £20,000 ISA allowance. Investment companies offering strong, long-term performance and income benefits could be a possibility for a stocks and shares ISA.
  
  Read more

• Gas prices surge by more than a THIRD as Beast from the East snowstorm batters Britain

  28-02-2018 14:47 via feedproxy.google.com
  GAS PRICES are set to hit record levels this week as Britain turns up the central heating to full in the face of days of bitter snowstorms. Astonishingly, as the UK and Europe shiver in some of the lowest temperatures for years a major gas supply in Norway has been SWITCHED OFF.
  
  Read more

• What compensation can you claim for weather disruption?

  28-02-2018 13:58
  As the weather takes its toll on commuting, flights and getting to work, we look at your rightsAs the “beast from the east” brings travel and other disruption across the country, we look at your consumer rights. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Ecotricity gave away our promised John Lewis voucher

  28-02-2018 11:32
  During switching we were told we’d be given £50, only to find it had been donated to the Green partyMy husband started the process of switching energy supplies to Ecotricity, but held off until we were free from our First Utility contract. Ecotricity emailed to say that if he continued with the switch he would receive a £50 John Lewis voucher. I completed the process when we were free of First Utility (I have a different email to my husband). When our first bill came in, at twi
  
  Read more

• Toys R Us and Maplin fall into administration putting 5,500 UK jobs at risk

  28-02-2018 11:07 via theguardian.com
  Government urged to hold talks with unions and retailers to protect jobs as companies fail to find buyers
  Two of the UK’s best-known retailers, Toys R Us and the electronics specialist Maplin, have collapsed into administration on the same day, putting 5,500 jobs at risk.Administrators said they were still hoping to sell all or part of the two firms, which have struggled amid competition from internet giants such as Amazon and the weight of debts racked up by private equity backers. Contin
  
  Read more

• It’s futile to think firms like Carillion can be trusted to run public services | Phil McDuff

  28-02-2018 11:00 via theguardian.com
  For markets to work, firms need to take risks. That’s no way to run the things we all depend onThe mid-market restaurant business is apparently in trouble. Chains that made ill-judged investment decisions are losing money hand over fist, outlets are shutting down, a boom that attracted millions in private equity investment is turning into a crisis for the industry. But, really, unless you’re a shareholder, so what? It may seem trite to point out that the financial difficulties of Byr
  
  Read more

• Making a call while driving could be your most expensive mistake

  28-02-2018 01:01 via feedproxy.google.com
  USING your mobile phone while driving could be the most expensive call your ever make, with the total bill nearing four figures. As well as a fixed penalty and points on your licence, you will face higher motor insurance premiums for years into the future.
  
  Read more

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!