George Osborne

The whole Amazon thing is getting scary now

The ‘growth of online retail’ is now so proverbial that the phrase itself is nearly redundant. Is anyone surprised to learn this morning that Amazon has absolutely rampaged through the Christmas retail season, while scores of well-known bricks-and-mortar retailers reported a torrid set of financial results for the same period? No, me…

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London Stock Exchange success for pet food company

Town and Country Petfoods has been named one of the country’s most inspiring businesses by the London Stock Exchange. The firm has been recognised in the latest edition of the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report, which celebrates the country’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium…

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The Budget: At a glance guide

On March 16, George Osborne revealed his eighth budget as Chancellor. Pet Gazette brings you an at-a-glance guide to the highlights for businesses: Growth estimates for the year have been revised from 2.4 to 2.2 percent Inflation of 0.7 percent is expected for 2016 The headline rate of corporation tax…

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FSB welcomes changes to Small Business Rates Relief

The Federation of Small Business (FSB) has responded to the announcements made in Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget speech on March 16, 2016. Mike Cherry, policy director at the FSB, said: “In a Budget constrained by both the need to reduce the deficit and the economic outlook, the Chancellor has listened…

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Business rates relief “doubled permanently”

Business rates relief for small businesses will “more than double” during the next budget period. The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced that he was raising the threshold to £15,000 for the lower rate (up from £6,000) and to £51,000 got the higher band (up from £18,000). He said the measures would mean…

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Business rates regime discarded in overhaul

Chancellor George Osborne has announced a major transformation by scrapping uniform business rates. Plans announced during the Autumn Statement today will see the unpopular regime abolished in favour of letting councils decide whether to cut rates. This will ultimately leave more power in the hands of councils providing competition and…

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‘Lethal combination’ for UK retailers, says Tesco boss

Story by Michael Northcott The chief executive of Tesco, Dave Lewis, has warned that the UK retail sector is facing a “lethal cocktail” of rising costs. Speaking at the CBI’s annual conference, Lewis said rising business rates and the National Living Wage (introduced by George Osborne earlier this year) mean…

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Business rate system to have major overhaul

George Osborne has announced a huge overhaul for the UK’s business rate system which should aid retailers and small business owners. It was announced that £26 billion which is raised in business rates each year will be diverted from central government to local government. According to the BBC, chancellor George…

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Introducing the new National Living Wage

On July 8, the Government unveiled the first purely Conservative Budget for 19 years. Chancellor George Osborne’s “new contract” for the country introduced a National Living Wage for all working people over the age of 25. Minimum wage will reach £7.20 per hour next April, rising to £9 by 2020.…

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Retail business running costs up £20bn since 2006

A British Retail Consortium (BRC) commissioned study by Oxford Economics has revealed that retailers’ operating costs have increased by a fifth since 2006. BRC’s new pre-budget research has seen the association call on the Chancellor, George Osborne, to maintain retailers’ contribution to the country by reducing business costs and re-building…

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