Commercial news round-up: household spending, car production, French elections, Nestlé
updated on 27 April 2017
As national elections of all varieties continue to dominate headlines, there is still space for those all-important economic stories. In fact, more often than not, the political and business worlds are inextricably linked. For a variety of both, read on:
- The post-referendum landscape is not a sunny place to be for many UK households, as new figures reveal that people are feeling the effects of “rising prices, sluggish wage growth and a mood of uncertainty among employers”.
- One spillover of the above is being felt on the high street, with retail figures falling to their lowest level for seven years in March. One expert explained reduced spending this way: “Rising food and petrol prices, together with slowing real wage rises, appear to be finally prompting shoppers to tighten their belts.”
- On the flipside, car production in March was at its highest level for 17 years, with the weakened pound allowing for a greater number of exports.
- Results of the first-round French elections were felt on the global markets, with both European and Wall Street stock markets rallying in the face of the Le Pen-Macron run off.
- Nestlé has confirmed that it is moving production of the Blue Riband biscuit from the UK to Poland, with the potential for 300 jobs to be cut as a result.
Be sure to check the News section every Thursday for this weekly commercial news round-up. Follow @LawCareersNetUK on Twitter and like us on Facebook for instant business news updates.
