The Business

Is Labour’s promise of reindustrialisation realistic for the UK economy? Dominic O’Connell explores the future of British manufacturing.

In his speech to the Labour Party conference, Chancellor John Healey promised "a new age of industrialisation". But with UK manufacturing output stagnant and England losing over 6,000 manufacturing businesses in the past five years according to the Office for National Statistics, can government fiscal policy turn the tide?

In this episode of The Business, Dominic O’Connell considers whether genuine reindustrialisation is possible, as well as the obstacles in the way including the impact of high energy costs, skills shortages and the global impact of Chinese manufacturing competition.

Joined by David Smith, economics editor at The Sunday Times, and Liam Sides, director of regional analysis at Oxford Economics, we examine the structural shifts that transformed Britain into a service-based economy over the last 50 years and evaluate what a realistic reindustrialisation strategy looks like for British business, from growing advanced manufacturing sectors like aerospace and pharmaceuticals to regional investment and planning reform.

Guests:
David Smith, Economics Editor at The Sunday Times
Liam Sides, Director of Regional Analysis at Oxford Economics

Presenter:
Dominic O’Connell, Times columnist and Times Radio business correspondent

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producers: Emily Leahy and Miriam Hall

Picture: Getty
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What does Labour’s industrial strategy mean for British business? Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds speaks to Hannah Prevett at the Labour Party conference.

In this episode of The Business, recorded live on stage at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds joins Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times, to outline the government's plans for driving economic growth across the UK economy. Reynolds discusses how Labour’s industrial strategy will operate alongside regional growth plans, what the government's corporate strategy is for taking British Steel into public control, and how fiscal policy will support UK manufacturing and infrastructure. He also shares his perspective on Heathrow expansion, rising diesel costs, and the government's plans to restore business confidence.

Guest:
Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Presenter:
Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producer: Miriam Hall and Emily Leahy

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This series is sponsored by PwC.

How has Formula 1® evolved from a legacy sport into a global entertainment powerhouse?

In the third episode of a special series, host Andy Jaye speaks to Charlie Minors, Director of Strategy and Transformation at F1® and Jon Glick, PwC Advisory Marketing Leader to discuss the corporate strategy behind the business’ transformation. They discuss the key drivers of this commercial transformation from the success of the Netflix show Drive To Survive, expanding in the US market and creating engaged communities on social media. And the guests offer practical insights for industry leaders looking to scale modern consumer brands in a fast-changing global trade landscape.

Presenter:

Andy Jaye, Broadcaster

Guests:

Charlie Minors, Director of Strategy and Transformation at F1®

Jon Glick, PwC Advisory Marketing Leader

Producer: Shabnam Grewal

Executive Producer: Emily Leahy

Video Producer: Super Llama

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did M&S pull off one of the biggest turnarounds in British retail? Hannah Prevett speaks to operations director Sacha Berendji about the high street giant's transformation.

In this episode of The Business, we explore how M&S transformed its food, fashion, and shop location strategy to capture market share across British business. From store renewals and digital growth - to managing a cyber attack - we consider what its resurgence reveals about wider retail trends and consumer spending across the UK economy. M&S operations director Sacha Berendji joins Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times, to discuss the corporate strategy behind the multi-billion-pound revival of M&S. He explains how leadership set the course to revamp its product lineup, handle the logistics of "fortress factories" and is now approaching shoplifting challenges. He also discusses the tax burden on high street retailers, along with what M&S wants from government fiscal policy to address rising costs and the youth unemployment crisis.

He breaks down the company's decision to close a number of high street shops across the country:

“We're very well aware of the role that we play on a high street and within a local community, so we never take these decisions [to close a location] lightly - but when you look at the economics at play, not just for us, but for all retailers, and, really importantly, where customers are shopping, it has become more and more difficult to justify being in locations where there isn't customer foot fall,” he says on the show. “It's not an anti-high street agenda … If the high street is the right place, then we'll be on the high street.”

Guest:
Sacha Berendji, operations director at M&S

Presenter:
Hannah Prevett, associate business editor at The Sunday Times

Producer: Hope Federico
Executive Producer: Miriam Hall and Emily Leahy
Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com
Picture: Getty
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This series is sponsored by PwC.

Could we see the first female Formula 1® driver in 50 years racing in a Grand Prix?

In the second episode of a special series, host Andy Jaye speaks to 19 year old F1 ACADEMY driver Rachel Robertson, who’s chasing that dream and breaking down barriers in motorsport. Joined by PwC’s chief people officer Phillippa O’Connor they discuss Rachel’s inspirational story from a karting to the F1 ACADEMY, and how talent investment and more inclusive workplace cultures can open up new career pathways.

Together they explore how nurturing talent is vital for Formula 1® and how industry leaders can attract more diverse talent to drive high performance and long term economic growth.

You can also watch this episode on Times Business channel on YouTube.

Presenter:
Andy Jaye, Broadcaster

Guests:
Rachel Robertson, F1 ACADEMY driver
Phillippa O’Connor, PwC Chief People Officer

Producer: Harry Bligh and Shabnam Grewal
Executive Producer: Emily Leahy
Video Producer: Super Llama

Get in touch: thebusiness@thetimes.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.