July 2008 Archive

Tips taken out of minimum wage

Minimum wage payments will no longer include tips under new government plans.

British Gas owner's profits fall to £5.4m a day

Centrica - the owner of British Gas - announced its profits fell 20 per cent to £992 million for the first half of the year.

British Gas increases gas prices 35%

British Gas owner Centrica is increasing gas prices by 35 per cent and electricity prices by nine per cent.

Protect yourself from soaring energy bills

Cut the costs of gas and electricity bills

Energy bills are hitting the headlines on a regular basis as suppliers hike prices and householders increasingly struggle to cope. Not only are higher bills squeezing budgets, the dramatic increase in the price of gas, electricity and heating oil is forcing up inflation, which has kept the Bank of England from cutting interest rates.

Energy market needs urgent reform say MPs

Energy reforms are urgently needed to protect thousands of UK jobs, a group of MPs has warned.

Fuel costs hit Ryanair profits

Higher fuel costs led to an 85 per cent fall in Ryanair profits over the first quarter, the airline said.

Northern Foods prices up 5.5% in 'challenging market'

Pizza-maker Northern Foods pushes up prices 5.5%

Northern Food today reported its prices have risen 5.5 per cent in the last three months.

Ofgem tackles social tariffs

Ofgem wants social tariffs to be cheapest rate supplier can offer

Energy suppliers' social tariffs must match their cheapest deals, regulator Ofgem has announced.

EDF Energy increases gas and electricity prices

EDF increases gas and electricity prices

EDF Energy is to increase its electricity prices by 17 per cent and its gas prices by 22 per cent from today.

Economic growth drops to 0.2%, as recession fears grow

Recession fears grow as GDP growth drops

The UK economy grew just 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2008.

London Oyster system fails

London Oyster system leavings Tube barriers open

London's Oyster card system broke down this morning, forcing Tube workers to open gates.

Broadband providers to warn music pirates

Six of the UK's biggest internet providers have agreed on a plan with the music industry to tackle illegal downloading.

Moscow tops list of most expensive cities

Moscow beats Tokyo and London to become most expensive city

Moscow has beaten London and Tokyo to top the list of the world's most expensive cities to live in.

Sky to rival iTunes

Amy Winehouse to feature on Sky music download service

Sky is set to launch a new music download service.

Father's flexitime shakeup plans

New fathers will be get greater access to flexitime under new government plans.

Supermarkets start petrol price war

Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury are all to cut the price of their petrol as oil prices fall.

Summer holiday savings: Advice webchat

Summer holidays bring a financial burden for parents as the cost of looking after and entertaining children for six weeks hits hard.

UK shopping bills up for 80%

Four-fifths of Brits have seen their weekly shopping bills rise by £20.

London shoppers defy sales decline

London retail sales up despite national decline

Shoppers flocked to the capital in June despite a national retail sales decline as a strong euro attracted European bargain hunters to London.

Gas bills to soar over £1,000

Domestic gas prices could increase to over £1,000 a year in the coming years.

Outlook 'dire' for retail sector

The outlook for the UK retail sector over the next three-years has been described as "dire" for the foreseeable future by the Colliers CRE Midsummer Retail Report.