Plimsoll

The UK financial sector has, for many decades, been the main growth engine of the UK economy. The effects of the financial crisis of 2008, triggered by irrational exuberance and light regulation of the sector, were felt much less in financial circles than in many other parts of the UK economy. While the average take-home pay for the average worker remains below pre-crisis levels, the financial sector has paid out 50% in bonuses in 2021, despite the pandemic.

Leading figures in the chemical market are increasingly concerned about being able to continue production in the UK as the energy crisis deepens and Brexit chokes off the supply chain. Stephen Elliott, chief executive of the Chemical Industry Association, inferred that some of their members could begin closing plants within weeks.

Lost in the noise of the ongoing troubles at Thomas Cook Group Plc is a gem of an opportunity – the company’s airline.

At Plimsoll, our clients often ask us which industries have the hottest M&A targets and most opportunities. Historically, the answer was simple: those with distressed companies that could be bought cheaply, restructured, and folded into an existing business.  

There is a growing interest in the adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency technology by mainstream financial institutions as part of the drive to turn the UK into a post-Brexit tech powerhouse.

While the drive to increase female representation in executive roles has long been a talking point for successive governments and think-tanks alike, Plimsoll has, for the first time ever, identified the tangible, overwhelming benefit female directors bring to company performance.

The academies industry in the UK is a complex and evolving landscape, with a range of financial issues impacting the sector. In the wake of financial scandals, there has been increasing scrutiny of academy finances, with concerns raised about the sustainability of the model and the potential for financial mismanagement and greed.

Only in the aftermath of COVID-19 will the full extent of the effect on the country’s collective mental health and wellness become apparent. The cost to the NHS and the public purse could be billions according to recent research. The impact on quality of life, while insignificant compared to lost loved ones, is likely to be felt at an economic and humanitarian level for some time.

The total number of breweries in the UK remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2023, with the overall number down by just four. These figures were provided by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) UK Brewery Tracker, which monitors new brewery openings and closures both regionally and nationally.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Never has that old proverb been more appropriate than in the times of historic crisis. From the economic carnage of the past 12 months, innovators have risen like a phoenix from the ashes of their closed primary markets. Companies that should have been the worst affected by the pandemic have shown that the entrepreneurial spirit always finds a way.