Minimum Wage
This coverage examines the impact of minimum wage policies on UK retail businesses, with reporting on legislative changes, compliance obligations, cost management, and workforce strategies. Insight focuses on how retailers adapt operations, staffing, and pay structures to meet legal requirements while maintaining commercial performance — supporting executives, HR managers, and owners navigating wage regulation challenges.
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Mar- 2020 -24 MarchCoronavirus
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme – Advice for employers
Nigel Morris, tax director at MHA MacIntyre Hudson explains how employers can access the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) to continue paying 80% of the salary for employees that would otherwise have been laid off or made redundant, the practical next steps and potential complications of the scheme. Key points include:…
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6 MarchBusiness Bites
Flybe’s pensions in doubt; Poorest 20% no better off than before, 1m Virgin customers on unsecured database
Flybe’s pension pot for 1,350 current and former workers is at risk, as the fallout from one of the first casualties of the coronavirus business threat manifests in full. Flybe of course was already embattled before the new Covid-19 virus came along, and was the subject of a controversial bailout…
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Jan- 2020 -21 JanuarySupermarkets
Aldi hikes minimum wage
Aldi has announced it will implement “market leading” pay rates for its store colleagues. All employees will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40 nationally and £10.90 inside the M25, increasing from £9.10 and £10.55 respectively. The new rates, which exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended rates, will be effective…
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9 JanuaryAnalysis
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…
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Dec- 2019 -13 DecemberBusiness Bites
The election is over – time for the Tories to deliver for small businesses
It now looks as though political stasis and all the damage that does to business will be lifted in 2020. Boris Johnson’s victory in the election is the Tories’ strongest since the Thatcher era, and gives him great scope to implement bold policies. At this juncture it’s worth taking a…
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12 DecemberAnalysis
Businesses are sitting on £115bn and waiting to splurge
Goldman Sachs thinks money will pour into UK stocks and shares after this election, but it’s at least partly because they suspect a Tory victory. Regardless of which side of the Brexit divide you are on, there is one thing that’s for certain: business has been extremely cautious about the…
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Sep- 2019 -17 SeptemberHigh Street
One in 20 workers not receiving holiday pay, research reveals
Around one in 20 workers in the UK are not receiving any holiday entitlement, according to a recent study by think tank the Resolution Foundation. The report found that 4% of workers in the wholesale, retail and motor services sector say they have no paid holiday entitlement, amounting to approximately…
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11 SeptemberHigh Street
Labour pledges £10 minimum wage for all workers over 16
Jeremey Corbyn has pledged a £10 an hour minimum wage for all workers over 16 if his party is elected to government. In a speech delivered to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, Corbyn said Labour would also deliver action on the gender pay gap, equal rights for all…
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Jun- 2019 -18 JuneClothing & Shoes
Gov rejects MPs’ sustainable fashion recommendations
The government has rejected all the recommendations made by the Environmental Audit Committee (ECA) in February with the aim to “end the era of throwaway fashion”. The MPs published its report called Fixing Fashion Report: Clothing Consumption and Sustainability following the end of its sustainability of the fashion industry inquiry.…
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May- 2019 -30 MayEconomy
Shop price inflation pushed up by non-food price rises
Shop price inflation increased by 0.8% year-on-year in May, with non-food inflation also increasing by 0.2%, according to the latest figures from the BRC and Nielsen. The BRC said the growth in May was the second highest inflation rate seen in the last six years, though it remains “well below”…
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