Greggs rolling in dough

Thursday 9th January 2020

Get straight to the good stuff every day with the Multiply Minute; a lightning-quick round-up of the money news and how it affects you.

We’re (slightly) more productive

The Office of National Statistics’ verdict on UK productivity growth for Q3 2019 is out and it’s...not amazing. Per-hour output grew by 0.1% from July to September last year, compared to the same period in 2018. At least it’s not negative, as it had been for the year before that. But low productivity is still a long-term threat to economic growth.

Greggs: proving and rising:

The blooming bakery issued an upgraded profit forecast yesterday for the third time since November, after exceptionally strong 2019 sales driven by its new vegan sausage roll. Its investors got a tasty slice of a £35 million shareholder dividend last October and it’s doling out the dough to employees as well: £7 million in bonuses to its 25,000 workers, who’ll get up to £300 extra on payday this month.

2019 was the worst:

...for UK stores. Findings from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG Retail Sales Monitor revealed there was a 0.1% drop in total sales for the year in comparison to 2018's 1.2% of growth. This wasn't helped by the Christmas period failing to provide the predicted bounce the High Street needed as customers chose trips out with family and friends over stockpiling Christmas gifts.

Top-paying 2020 careers:

Looking for a six-figure career change for 2020? Job site Indeed compiled a list of the top 20 that'll make your bank balance beam. Healthcare dominates the chart with nine of the list in that industry, with orthodontists leading the sector at £99,010 a year. Top overall was a chief financial officer at £112,66 a year on average. Others in the top ten include ophthalmologist and neonatologist. Our respect if you know what either of these are without Google’s help.