London Is UK's 'Best Place To Start A Small Business': Reality And Price Increases Disagree | IBTimes...

As part of Simply Business' "Best UK Cities for Small Businesses Index for 2024", London was listed as the best city in the UK to start a small business.

Despite average monthly rent prices measuring around ⁘2125, the capital's average earnings, start-up programmes and coworking spaces boosted it to the top.

Leicester, Coventry and Doncaster followed closely behind London and were considered more affordable cities for small business entrepreneurs in the UK.

"Small businesses sit at the heart of our communities and play a vital role in our local and national economy," said Alan Thomas, the UK CEO of Simply Business.

"We know finance plays a huge part in starting or growing a successful small business. A quarter of small business owners cited lack of funding (25%) as a major factor affecting their business."

Janet Edwards is a floral artist and owner of Janet Edwards Florist, a flower vendor based in Brixton Hill, South London.

Edwards told International Business Times UK: "In the current climate, many businesses are closing in London due to very high rents and business rates."

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ITV Corrie's Joel Actor Calum Lill Was 'Ready To Quit Acting' Amid 'Tough' Relationship Move - OK!

Actor Calum Lill arrived on Coronation Street as Joel Deering back in 2023. The character was introduced as a duty solicitor helping Lauren Bolton, but he ended up becoming a permanent fixture in Weatherfield after striking up a romance with Dee-Dee Bailey.

It looks like Joel could be sticking around in Weatherfield if he manages to make amends with girlfriend Dee-Dee, which will definitely be welcome news to actor Calum. The soap star has been open about his struggles to land roles prior to getting his big break last year.

"I was selling cars while auditioning for Corrie and I hated it," he said. "I thought, 'It's been 15 years, I'm going to have to drop it, nothing's happening'."

He worked on Doctors as well as Holby City after graduating, but when lockdown hit he was left without work, he told the Manchester Evening News. Calum bagged 12 episodes on Hollyoaks at the end of 2021, before going to work on a paella stall at festivals alongside Corrie alumni Jenny Platt and Rupert Hill, who played Violet Wilson and Jamie Baldwin in the soap.

He'd already unsuccessfully audition for Coronation Street at the time, but Jenny and Rupert encouraged him to hold onto some hope, telling him that the producers would be back in touch if they took a liking to him. Calum relocated to Manchester with his girlfriend and continued working alongside acting in a bid to save for a house.

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British Grocery Inflation Dips To 3.2%, Says Kantar | The Mighty 790 KFGO

LONDON (Reuters) – UK grocery price inflation fell for the 14th month in a row in April, partly driven by an increase in supermarkets' promotional activity, industry data showed on Tuesday.

Market researcher Kantar said annual grocery price inflation was 3.2% in the four weeks to April 14, versus 4.5% in the previous four week period.

Kantar said items bought on offer made up 29.3% of supermarket sales – the highest level outside of Christmas since June 2021.

But he noted prices were still rising quickly in markets such as sugar and chocolate confectionery and chilled fruit juices and drinks.

Official UK data published last week showed overall inflation fell to 3.2% in March, driven by a slowdown in food inflation to 4%.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has sought to take credit for more than halving inflation, although there has been little sign of an opinion poll boost for his struggling Conservative Party, which badly lags the opposition Labour Party ahead of an election expected this year.

Kantar said online player Ocado was again the fastest growing grocer in the 12 weeks to April 14, with a 12.5% growth in sales.

Market leader Tesco and No. 2 Sainsbury's saw sales growth of 5.9% and 6.8% respectively, both gaining market share year-on-year.

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The Menzingers Announce Two New UK Shows

Today, April 22, marks the 10-year anniversary of the release of Rented World , and to celebrate, The Menzingers have announced two UK shows in London, and one US show in Philadelphia. Tickets for the UK shows will go on sale on Friday, with the US tickets going up on Wednesday.

Previously, The Menzingers' London shows have taken place at The Roundhouse and Electric Ballroom, with their most recent Philadelphia show being at Franklin Music Hall. However, the band will be taking on more intimate shows this time, taking on The Underworld in London, and TLA in Philadelphia.

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Hollyoaks Viewers Make Desperate Plea As Iconic Character Returns To Channel 4 Soap

Hollyoaks viewers were left pleading with bosses on Monday night, as an iconic character made their return to the Channel 4 soap.

As revealed in the very end of Tuesday night's E4 episode, broadcast on Channel 4's streaming platform from Monday evening, a familiar face made their return to the show a year on from their exit. Grace Black made her long awaited comeback, which had been teased in a trailer weeks ago.

While she was only on screen for a few moments, it was enough to send fans wild ahead of her longer appearances during this week. Amid it not being confirmed whether Grace's return is permanent or temporary, recent pictures of filming seemed to hint she could be released.

One viewer posted after seeing the episode online: "GRACE'S RETURN WAS SO ICONIC." Another agreed: "GRACE BLACK IS BACK!!!!" as a third added: "GRACE IS BACK HOLY S**T."

The comments kept on coming too with another reading: "Grace Black appeared at the end of tomorrows episode I'm so happy. I've missed her so damn much." A further fan added: "Welcome back the legend, Queen B, b***h that is @tammiew aka Grace Black. Please never leave us again for real, seriously!!!"

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Rebel Wilson Says A British Royal Invited Her To An Orgy Party

In her memoir Rebel Rising —in which she's already dropped bombshell accusations against Sacha Baron Cohen and a number of other parties—the 44-year-old comedian recalled her unexpected invite to the lavish party by the mystery royal, whom she never names.

"I got thrown a last-minute invite to a tech billionaire's party – the guy who invited me, who's like fifteenth or twentieth in line to the British throne, had said to my male friend, 'We need more girls,'" she wrote.

"The party was insane. Men were jousting on horses in a field, girls dressed as mermaids were in the pool," the actress recalled. "The property was massive, and because it was quite a drive, people had been assigned rooms to sleep there overnight."

Things took a turn around 2 a.m., when servers appeared with sweet treats for the revelers as they enjoyed a firework show outside, she said.

"There's a huge private fireworks display and then all of a sudden it's 2 a.m. and a guy comes out with a large tray piled with what looks like a ton of candy," Wilson wrote.

"I'm like, 'Ooooh, is that candy?' and the guy holding the tray says, 'No, this is the molly,' and I turned to the screenwriter I've been talking with, confused.

"Now the comment by the Windsor about needing more girls started to make a lot more sense," she wrote. "They weren't talking about a boy-girl ratio like it was a year-eight disco. They were talking about an ORGY!"

But Wilson claims she had no desire to stick around and participate. "Needless to say, I hike up my damsel dress and run out of there as fast as I can," the actress concluded.

Before the book was released in the U.S., Wilson vented about Cohen's attempts to stop it on social media. Cohen has denied her accusations.

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Inside Victoria Beckham’s Star-Studded 50th Birthday Party

The final note capped off the evening perfectly: David carrying Victoria out of the party, piggyback style. On her Instagram this weekend, Beckham shared a few thoughts on turning 50 – and she clearly will always remember the special day after celebrating with those closest to her. "As I get ready to step into 50 (in heels, of course!), I feel so incredibly blessed to have reached this milestone," she wrote. "Blessed, but also accomplished and deeply content. Not just of where I am as a woman, but of how far my fashion and beauty brands have come. My ambition was always to empower women and make them feel like the best version of themselves. To me, that meant trusting my instinct and never compromising on my creative vision."

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