Business

The 'short term loan' is amongst the most slandered terms in the financial world, but there is no doubting that responsible lenders have an important role to play in the credit market. New research has revealed the importance of borrowing from an accredited lender when it comes to short-term credit, with a third of people saying that government regulation will make the industry more trustworthy. More than a quarter of the respondents said they are more likely to borrow money if the lender is...

By Ben Ramanauskas Martin Shkreli has managed to engender feelings of revulsion in the vast majority of the population. He incurred widespread odium when his company, Turing Pharmaceuticals, acquired the drug Daraprim, which is commonly used to treat toxoplasmosis, which kills people with weakened immune systems, such as people suffering from AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy. The parasite which causes toxoplasmosis lives inside of one third of the population, in tiny cysts that go undetected because they are quarantined in our...

Porterlight Bicycles’ office-come-workshop, tucked away inside a warehouse on an industrial estate in Seven Sisters, has all the space of a garden shed. Between Lawrence Brand – the founder of Porterlight Bicycles – myself, and a baby blue bicycle frame, there is little room to manoeuvre. Hunched over a workbench, we are sandwiching a small blackboard. Chalked on the board is a motivational message: ‘Time to Build’. Brand believes the Chancellor has failed to send out the same message to...

EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has opened a new low cost supermarket in Park Royal offering staple goods for 25p each. EasyFoodstore opened on Monday offering a range of groceries for 25p as part of a introductory promotion set to last all of February. The outlet has a  “limited and basic range of items at rock-bottom prices” using the slogan, “No expensive brands. Just food honestly priced”. The move is a clear challenge to the astronomic rise of retailers Aldi and...

New job data has revealed almost a half a million female and ethnic minority jobseekers in the finance and IT sectors will not be considered for roles this year purely because of the name on their CV. The research revealed that even though employment in finance and IT is on the increase, the proportion of women and minorities working there has fallen. There are also inherent barriers to progression for those already in-situ: women with supervisory responsibility in the finance sector are...

With over 900 franchise brands and 44,000 operations, it's fair to say the UK high street is buzzing with franchise activity. Often unbeknown to the public. Most of us recognise McDonald’s as a global franchise, but Dominos, Costa and many more sing from the same hymn sheet. In the past ten years the franchise sector's contribution to the economy has grown by 46 per cent, bringing in £15.1 billion last year. For Brits who want more independence over their career it is...

The price of petrol is likely to drop further in 2016 following the Iran nuclear deal that freed the country of sanctions. The International Energy Agency has predicted that “unless something changes, the oil market could drown in over-supply” in 2016. Over supply of crude has already resulted in prices dropping to around the $28 a barrel mark, but it could fall further. The IEA expect that higher production from Iran will lead to the market being drowned in oil, with production set to...

When thinking about European versions of Silicon Valley, three cities come to mind — London, Berlin and Amsterdam. All three are unique and ready to rival each other to be the most fruitful in promoting new business and the most successful in acquiring funding. Recently, however, the amount of venture capital funding that has been invested in London has surprised even the most optimistic of expectations, leaving everyone wondering if the Tech City is turning into a Tech Empire. As...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Richard Branson's business empire is about to grow again as his Virgin Care organisation is about to take over Sheppey and Sittingbourne community hospitals as part of a £126 million deal. The Virgin group will oversee the running of four new hospitals - Sittingbourne Memorial, Sheppey Community Hospital, Livingstone Hospital in Dartford and Gravesham Hospital in Gravesend.The community hospitals, community nursing, intermediate care, community neuro rehabilitation, speech and language therapy, podiatry and continence services will...