While digital marketers are utilising chatbots, artificial intelligence and social media trends to enhance their online campaigns, the appeal towards a more traditional form of advertising is growing stronger. In fact, advertising spending on direct mail marketing amounts to £2.85bn in 2024, and is expected to reach £3bn by 2029 at an annual growth rate of 1.01%.

Direct Line Insurance: Strong Premium Growth Highlights Efforts to Reprice Their Book; Insurance Margins May Be Pressured as It Competes More Aggressively on Price. Nio: The price war in China’s EV market became more intens; Investors still cannot see a clear path to profitability.

CBI CEO Rain Newton-Smith is today calling on the Government to fix antiquated business rates rules in England to boost investment and grow the economy. Ahead of the Autumn Budget, the CBI convened firms from 12 sectors, including retail and manufacturing, to develop cross-economy solutions for a competitive and transparent business rates system.

The gap between what workers consider a comfortable salary - and their real salary - is larger in London than anywhere else in the UK, according to a research collaboration between St. James’s Place Financial Adviser Academy and leading hiring platform, Indeed.

2025 Northern Power Women Awards, Europe’s largest event celebrating gender equality, will honour trailblazers driving change across the North. Nominations are open until 23:59 on September 27 2024 to recognise individuals making a significant impact in their communities and workplaces.

Magtec, a pioneer in electric vehicle drive systems, has successfully completed two industrial research projects, both matched-funded by the UK government and delivered through the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC).

Following the recent launch of a new direct Manchester to Shanghai flight link, Jenny France, area director in the North West at Lloyds Bank, explores how businesses in the region may now turn to exporting to help the maximise their growth prospects.

Datascope Systems, a provider of software and hardware solutions to the global construction sector, has secured a multi-million pound investment from BGF, one of the largest and most experienced growth capital investors in the UK and Ireland.

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) today releases data which models the impact of the Government’s announced stronger Energy Profits Levy (EPL) on the UK economy.

The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, fell back to -12 in August, following a three-year high of +7 in July 2024. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also fell from +36 in July to +23 in August.

The Labour manifesto made several commitments to not raise certain taxes. No such promise was made in respect of capital gains tax (CGT), hence the speculation that Rachel Reeves may make announcements on 30 October that will lead to an increase in CGT rates, quite possibly from that date. Ross Stupart at audit, tax and consulting firm RSM look at the implications for those taxpayers who could be looking to get a transaction completed before the Budget.

'Diversity, 'Equity', and 'Inclusion' seem to be popular business catchphrases in today’s work lexicon, appearing all over company websites and mission statements. Cognitive diversity is the inclusion of people with different styles of problem-solving who can offer unique perspectives because they think differently, have divergent perspectives, and come from varied backgrounds.

BYD: Launch of Glory Edition models to stimulate demand in thelower-end market; EU's tariff. Meituan: Growth rate of instashopping orders driven by fast expansionof lightning warehouses but may slow down as competition is heating up; Godmembership system will make up for Meituan's lack of marketing tools. Li Auto: Average product price drop with the launch of L6; Loss camefrom weak Mega sales; Our experts are skepital about the future of BEV series

An international specialist logistics provider has received £4m additional funding into its vehicle fleet to fuel growth and boost sustainability. Cheshire-based Brit European helps its broad client base, which includes the likes of JCB and Mercedes-Benz, to manage all the different stages of their production, from sourcing materials to delivering the finished product.

More than half (52%) of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people report being bullied or harassed at work, according to new research published by the TUC today (Wednesday). The new poll – carried out for the TUC by Number Cruncher Politics – found: Around one in five (19%) LGBT+ people had been exposed to verbal abuse at work in the last five years.

Caribbean hot sauce makers announce plans to scale up production of their handmade hot sauce recipes. The specialist food firm are already the winners of three Great Taste Awards, and are busy planning expansion following their success through online sales, independent delis and food fairs. Director Donna-Lee Tapper explains: “Our Caribbean hot sauces have real provenance.

Costs per person employed in the services sector grew at an accelerated pace over the last quarter, far above the long-run average, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Service Sector Survey. Despite this, selling prices only rose modestly over the last three months, and are expected to rise more slowly in the next three months.

The U.S. stock market saw a strong performance last week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 Index moving closer to record highs. Investors responded positively to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s signal that interest rate cuts are on the horizon.

The Labour government is reportedly exploring various solutions to bridge the funding gap identified ahead of the Budget. According to Chris Etherington and Miruna Constantin at audit, tax and consulting firm RSMUK, with the government also focused on decarbonising transport, an increase in Air Passenger Duty for domestic flights may be under consideration to discourage domestic air travel and fund rail improvements, aiming for a more efficient and environmentally conscious transport system.

Many leaders suffer from Impostor Syndrome, but whatever you feel internally, your staff look to you to tell them what’s important. And a crucial time to get this right is when you’re aiming to change a team’s culture, perhaps as part of the process of making a transformational change or implementing a ‘turnaround’ project. Showing your face on the 'shop floor' of the business is paramount.

In an open letter more than 40 organisations said the confirmed 3 per cent increase to the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) to take the headline rate to 78 per cent, extension to 2030 and the removal of the investment allowance and a reduction in capital allowances risks thousands of jobs, and the companies critical to the UK Government’s industrial strategy and progress towards its net zero targets.

With GCSE students starting to plan their next steps after receiving their results this week, and some A-Level students still considering their career options, Joe Hughes, a former apprentice and now Customer Collaboration Manager at Nestlé in York, discusses why he thinks more students should explore apprenticeships and talks about his own experiences on the Nestlé scheme.

Harrogate based provider of sustainable IT solutions, Techbuyer, is announced as one of the newest members of the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance (GDSA). This alliance works alongside the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), to help inform government on sustainable IT best practice.

SportsShoes.com has announced the launch of its first-ever mobile app to enhance its customers’ online retail experience. The launch forms part of the online running shoes, running clothing and outdoor gear retailer’s ongoing strategic expansion plans.