Sofa, so good: Ikea growth driven forward by deliveries and online November 2, 2018 Ikea grew revenues by almost six per cent in the financial year, as online sales helped expand the top line. The furniture giant grew UK revenues by 5.9 per cent to £1.97bn for the financial year ending August. It increased market share to 8.4 per cent from eight per cent last year. While nearly 60m [...]
Apple’s victory throws EU’s digital tax into doubt July 16, 2020 Apple’s successful appeal against a €13.1bn fine from the European Commission could leave the EU’s digital tax strategy at risk of unravelling, experts have warned. A top European court yesterday annulled a decision passed by the Commission in 2016 ordering Apple to pay Ireland more than €13bn in back taxes. It said the executive body [...]
Ikea cites rapid change in the retail sector as it cuts 7,500 jobs worldwide November 21, 2018 Ikea will cut 7,500 jobs worldwide over the next two years as it focuses on developing its website and inner-city stores, it said today. The cuts, which include 350 roles in the UK, will not hit the headcount of Ikea's 160,000 employees worldwide as it also plans to add 11,500 new jobs to its global workforce. [...]
Ant Financial takes minority stake in fintech unicorn Klarna March 4, 2020 The highest valued fintech company in the world, Ant Financial, has taken a minority stake in payments platform Klarna. The “buy now pay later” specialist confirmed that Alipay owner Ant Financial had bought a less than one per cent stake, but refused to disclose how much it is worth. Ant Financial is part of the [...]
Fintech unicorn Klarna posts first ever annual loss February 26, 2020 Klarna, the joint largest fintech startup in Europe, has suffered its first ever annual loss, with the “buy now pay later” specialist hit by heavy credit losses. The company, which lets people pay for online purchases in installments, reported a loss of 1.1bn Swedish krona (£87.5m) on revenues of 7.2bn krona last year, its first [...]
DEBATE: Will Ikea’s new small store format in urban centres help save the high street? November 5, 2018 Will Ikea’s new small store format in urban centres help save the high street? Adrian Moorhouse, managing director of Lane4, says YES. Ikea’s experiment with smaller city centre stores is a great example of a brand evolving to stay connected to its customers, by accommodating the changing ways in which people both live and shop. As a lot [...]
Flat pack expansion: Ikea to reach 3bn people by middle of next decade October 10, 2018 Ikea will reach almost half the world’s population by 2025 as it branches into South America and eleven other markets in the coming year. The furniture giant, which grew retail sales by 4.5 per cent in the financial year ending August, said it would open stores in Estonia, Ukraine, Puerto Rico, Oman, Luxembourg, Macau and [...]
Ikea accused of ‘vicious’ anti-union campaign, allegedly using intimidation tactics September 27, 2018 Ikea violated workers’ rights to unionise in three countries, a federation of unions has claimed in a complaint filed to the OECD. The UNI Global Union, a collection of 900 unions from 140 countries, accuses Ikea of a “vicious anti-union campaign in the United States, Ireland, and Portugal.” Read more: Samsung Electronics boss indicted for [...]
UK coronavirus lockdown: Sports Direct asks if staff count as key workers March 24, 2020 Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct and Evans Cycles stores will now remain closed unless the government gives them permission to stay open during the UK coronavirus lockdown. Bosses earlier claimed the stores are vital to the health of the nation, giving staff so-called key worker status. Under new measures announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson last [...]
By trademarking her brand, Greta Thunberg has turned identity marketing on its head March 23, 2020 Greta Thunberg’s recent announcement that she had trademarked her name and the phrase that carried her global movement may have seemed an odd choice for a young activist so opposed to the status quo of capitalism. But this is in fact a savvy and necessary move to protect her message. The phrase is “skolstrejk for [...]