It may have started life with one shop in Swindon, but Mountain Warehouse, the high street chain whose outdoor clothing is beloved of hikers and dog walkers, is poised to take on even more of the American market after the British millionaire behind the brand bought a collapsed US rival. Mark Neale, the chief executive,…
On October 14, Sir Keir Starmer will host the UK International Investment Summit, a flagship event for a government out to show its commitment to growth and wealth creation. While many of these conferences can be glorified talking shops designed to add a bit of positive mood music, the stakes are high for this event….
The Qatari owners of Harrods have banked another £180 million dividend, despite a 17 per cent decline in operating profits at the world’s most famous department store. The luxury retailer is owned by Harrods Ltd, a company in turn owned by the state of Qatar via its Qatar Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund. The multimillion-pound…
SSE is spending £100 million to move forward with a hydroelectric storage scheme in the Highlands. That will include tunnelling into a hillside at the site of the Coire Glas project, at Loch Lochy in the Great Glen, to assess the geological conditions. The technology works with two reservoirs at different heights. During periods of…
Car makers will be forced to meet strict mandates on the sale of electric cars under plans announced by ministers. From next year motor manufacturers must ensure that 22 per cent of their sales are electric vehicles (EV), a target industry experts believe will be hard to achieve. The mandate will rise to 28 per…
The only nuclear plant under construction in Britain is at growing risk of further delays and cost overruns, its French developer has warned. When the Hinkley Point C plant in Somers got the go-ahead in 2016, first power was expected in late 2025. That then slipped to June 2027 at the earliest, with the potential…
This newspaper published details of an undercover investigation this year into the forced fitting of prepayment meters by contractors working for British Gas. It found evidence of actions and behaviour that are simply unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for our customers. I immediately apologised and ordered a thorough investigation, overseen by Promontory Financial…
Labour’s plan to make developers build affordable housing on at least 50 per cent of “grey belt” land renders 80 per cent of small development sites unworkable, research from the tech firm Viability has found. Lowering the government’s proposed “golden rule” requirement from 50 per cent to 35 per cent would make more sites feasible…
The government’s own workplace pension scheme has ruled out investing in nuclear projects such as Sizewell C, dealing a blow to ministers’ hopes of getting new plants off the ground. The National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) said it would not revise its policy on nuclear infrastructure investments despite an overhaul of energy policy last year….