The Friday Interview: Fortnum’s looks to the future July 17, 2020 It’s an iconic London brand, but like the rest of the capital, Fortnum & Mason was hit by the Covid-19 lockdown. We catch up with the store’s Retail & Hospitality Director Simon Thompson – who tells us that while it’s all a little different, loyal customers still have smiles on their faces. Fortnum & Mason [...]
London and southeast in Tier 3: What are the rules? December 17, 2020 Most of the southeast of England is set to join London in Tier 3 from midnight on Friday, as the government scrambles to contain a sharp spike in coronavirus cases. The move will see Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Peterborough, and the whole of Hertfordshire move into the highest level of restrictions from 0.01am on Saturday. It [...]
Exclusive: MPs slam ‘inconsistency and incompetence’ as SMEs struggle to get bounce back loans September 28, 2020 Banks have been told to ensure that no small businesses are “locked out” of government-backed coronavirus loans, after firms were left unable to access the loans despite being eligible for funding. MPs said lenders accredited under the scheme should re-open applications for bounce back loans (BBLs), designed to help small companies weather the pandemic. Barclays [...]
Johanna Kyrklund: the FOMO market is over – so, what’s next? April 12, 2021 Maybe lockdown has made me more middle aged and boring. I’m just not as interested in trendy stuff any more, both in my personal life (I opted for a VW ID3, not a Tesla, after all) and now in investing. But in today’s markets a more boring approach – favouring diversification and judiciousness over more [...]
10 London fintechs prepare to scale up as they join Tech Nation startup programme March 27, 2019 London fintechs dominate the latest entries to a government-backed startup programme as the capital's fintech sector continues to boom. Monzo, Starling Bank, Revolut and Salary Finance were among the companies selected for this year’s Future 50 programme. Read more: Fintech unicorn Oaknorth more than trebles profits The scheme, which is run by government-backed Tech Nation, [...]
Sterling falls to six-month low as UK tightens virus measures March 17, 2020 Sterling dropped to its lowest level against the dollar in roughly six months today as the UK ramped up its measures to halt the spread of coronavirus. The pound fell as much as 0.6 per cent to $1.219 this morning — its lowest level since early September. Against the euro it edged up 0.2 per [...]
More human April 16, 2021 Cultural change and technological acceleration are transforming business and redefining the rules of marketing. According to Seth Godin, to connect with our clients we must go out from the limits and explore new ways. “Usually what we do daily is find small and disconnected parts of interests and somehow, we connect them, then we amplify [...]
This IWD, meet the women changing the booze industry March 8, 2021 The world of beer, wine and spirits has also been dominated during our lifetime by men, with phallocentric brands including Jack Daniels and Johnnie Walker aimed squarely at male drinkers. But it wasn’t always so – for thousands of years brewing was undertaken by women. And as we celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD), there are [...]
Uber shares surge by almost 40 per cent after torrid week March 19, 2020 Uber’s stock price has surged by nearly 40 per cent today, after its chief executive said the company would have billions in cash at the end of the year even in the worst case scenarios. Dara Khosrowshahi told analysts today that the ride-sharing app would have $4bn in cash at the end of 2020, and [...]
Reopened restaurants in London: A new regular round-up of the latest food news July 17, 2020 Coronavirus may have shuttered the food industry since lockdown was announced, but the restaurant business is bouncing back, with dozens of our favourite places to eat reopening every day. In this new column, we’ll bring you the latest news from the front-line of the food business, complete with all the details you need to book [...]