Business and Economics

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The food system is broken, NFESH President, Founder and CEO Enid Borden told me in a brief email exchange in response to my article on food waste. Highlighting the origins of food and the way in which our supermarket shelves are stocked I attempted to bring to light some of the big issues discussed in Omnivore’s Dilemma which is as harrowing a read as anything Stephen King or Dean Koontz could muster up but unfortunately housed in...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic London isn’t the birthplace of gin, but it’s the closest thing it has to a home. For London Dry is responsible for finding gin a bedfellow in the shape of tonic, a mix that has become internationally renowned and is, in part, responsible for the spirit’s global rise amongst peers such as whisky and vodka. But despite being a symbolic home, London Dry is rarely made in London these days. The East...

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) has launched a Speak Up campaign encouraging financial services industry firms to adopt a Speak Up policy for whistleblowers. New research has found there is overwhelming support for introducing US-style whistleblower incentives to the UK. When asked whether the UK should offer rewards to encourage reporting of wrongdoing by companies, as is the case in the US, 46 per cent of respondents were strongly in favour of the idea while 38 per...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic There was a time when food was a valued commodity and was treated as such. We would know the source of our food, understand seasonality and accept that everything has a shelf life, but the industrialisation of food means food waste is no longer the problem, food is. I hate to waste food, I've written many an article on frugal recipes and the method behind the madness, but I'm a product of...

Over the past ten years London’s economic fabric has been permanently altered by key business zones, with start-ups flocking to Silicon Roundabout and a renewed appetite for East End properties following the 2012 Olympic Games. But of late the prestige of the West End has seen home-grown and international businesses flock in their droves. The area is home to a number of industries – investment and law firms flock to exclusive Mayfair for a postcode guaranteed to impress clients, while...

A new survey has revealed there is a concerning lack of knowledge amongst Britain's small business when it comes to disposing of hazardous waste. The study of more than 1,000 SMEs, conducted by waste and recycling company Biffa, found eight out of ten are leaving themselves open to fines and prosecutions, with only 20 per cent of companies disposing of their hazardous waste legally. Despite an overriding confidence in how to manage their business waste (95 per cent said it wasn't...

By Steve Taggart I think I can speak for most of us, when I say we all would like a central London des res, for the price of a flat in a down market part of town. It is the stuff people dream of, and the type of conversation that can be overheard in every London gastro pub most evenings. The kind of loose chat you have after five pints of the local guest ale (and no you couldn't still...

By Valentina Magri On Thursday a 307-year long union might come to an end. In just a matter of days we will know whether Scotland will become independent from the UK, with fierce arguments being fielded from both the Yes and No camps. The vote is currently on a knife-edge, although our poll found 68 per cent of people believe a Yes vote is the most likely. The first YouGov poll suggesting a victory of the Scottish National Party (SNP), published on September 6th, alarmed both...

By Andy Irwin This week will be one of the most significant in British history. Three days out from the vote on Scottish independence, there is much to celebrate and admire from the process. An unprecedented number of Scots are expected to go to the polls on Thursday. Even those who don’t know how they are going to vote (and they are many) will be making their way to their local voting station. Sixteen year olds will vote in the...