If you’ve managed to make it past the Olympic celebratory pages of any UK newspaper in August, you’ll have noticed reports that the economy is still struggling.

Most measures are flattish and the recent quarterly Inflation Report from the Bank of England has generated several “zero growth” headlines.

But, because the 0 per cent forecast relates to a year we’re halfway through with the first two quarters negative, essentially it means growth is at least pencilled in by the Bank for H2. There are high risks to the downside – a c30 per cent chance of no growth in Q3 and Q4, but that still leads to modest hope: probably some growth from here on.

The team here at MEC have compiled a ‘Recession Watch’ which gives an overview of the sentiment measures on the state of the nation’s finances and consumer opinion

‘This is for everyone’ – The web celebrates its 21st birthday

While we were all busily checking the web for the latest Olympics news and information on whether or not any extra tickets had been released, there will be few of us that will have stopped to think about how all these online facilities got here in the first place. Read More

Sky Movies to Launch 007 HD

Sky Movies has announced it will launch a dedicated James Bond channel in October called Sky Movies 007 HD. The channel will show all 22 Bond films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studios, as well as the two independently-made films which feature the character – Never Say Never Again (1983) and Casino Royale (1967). All of the films will be shown in high definition and without commercials. Read More

Piriteze brings summer to life inside six-sheets

In a media first, GSK’s Piriteze brand recently brought their product to life by growing flowers inside outdoor six-sheet spaces. Read More

Time Out London to become a free title

In an attempt to boost readers, Time Out London is to become a free magazine. Cutting its price from £3.25 it hopes to increase circulation from 55,000 to a targeted 300,000 a week.
Read More

Active MEC

While we sit back and acknowledge the gap left in our lives by the Olympics, MEC Manchester has decided to use the time not spent watching women’s weightlifting/archery/judo on getting fit and raising funds for this year’s charities. Over the rest of 2012, keep your eyes peeled for Manchester MEC employees in gyms, pounding the streets and whizzing around on bikes – with individuals committing to a sponsored activity each month.

In August, some have committed to run the equivalent of a marathon, others a mile a day, some to row the equivalent of an Olympic rowing course twice a week. The key here is that it challenges the individual and will hopefully help to form healthy new habits while raising money for charity. There will also be people taking part in organised events such as the Great North Run and Liverpool Marathon to raise funds. If you have any activities planned, or any great ideas for future ones, do let us know!