Deliveroo fends off union bid to represent workers in Camden in win for gig economy May 2, 2018 Deliveroo has fended off a challenge by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) to represent its workers in Camden after the High Court rejected its push against the gig economy. The IWGB applied for a judicial review on an earlier decision that ruled that Deliveroo drivers should be classified as self-employed. As a [...]
Opinion: The Budget left out property and the housing crisis – but here’s what Philip Hammond should have done instead March 13, 2017 Apart from a nod towards business rates (the devil will be in the Finance Act detail), the Budget was almost a property-free zone. But Mr Hammond missed out on some much-needed blue-sky thinking, especially if the government is going to fix what it calls the ‘broken’ housing system. Here are some things that Spreadsheet Phil [...]
Equity crowdfunding’s leading founders predict what’s in store for the sector in 2017 January 5, 2017 Equity crowdfunding will look even more grown up by Christmas 2017. More regulation is coming to the sector: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said it’ll consult this year on new rules, in a bid to improve protection for retail investors and increase transparency around financial promotions. Read more: The FCA is cracking down on [...]
The golden rules of venture capital funding October 31, 2016 Venture capital (VC) accounted for $3.6bn (£2.95bn) of investment in the UK tech sector last year – a 70 per cent increase on the previous year. On a per capita basis, the country is now the second biggest destination for VC money in the world. But while it’s a valuable option, it’s not necessarily the [...]
Imagine a parallel universe in which Brexit decisions made sense | City A.M. July 27, 2018 Stop banging on about Europe. That was David Cameron’s plea in 2006, in those halcyon days before the term “Brexit” had even been coined. Today, 12 years later, it is difficult to bang on about anything else. Brexit has infiltrated every strand of political discourse. Read more: Brexit secretary admits food will need to be [...]
HMRC in £468m small business tax haul January 23, 2017 Local compliance teams investigating small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) brought in substantial extra revenue to the taxman last year. HMRC has shifted its resources away from large businesses and towards SMEs, which they estimate represent 51 per cent of the country’s “tax gap”, the difference between the amount of tax collected and the amount [...]
Watch out Uber? Addison Lee’s investing £17m in 550 new Ford Galaxys November 14, 2016 Addison Lee is striking while the iron's hot. It has just announced some hefty investment, plugging £17m into new cars, purchasing 550 Ford Galaxy people carriers, as it renews 12 per cent of its 5,000 strong fleet. Earlier this year profits were down as it battled the rise of mobile challengers, like Uber. But with the [...]
Ultimate Products eyes sale or IPO and mandates Shore Capital March 15, 2016 The owners of Ultimate Products, which has the licence to sell Russell Hobbs products to retailers, has hired City advisers Shore Capital to explore a potential sale or IPO of the business. The Manchester-based firm could fetch between £50m and £60m, according to people familiar with the situation. Shore Capital has been asked to explore all [...]
Many PRs don’t understand how influencers work. That must change. March 20, 2017 As someone who works in the PR industry and also runs a football culture blog, I have seen “influencer marketing” from both sides. Building on my recent City A.M. post on the growth of microinfluencers, here are my insights on where PRs go wrong and how they can work better with influencers. Most PR [...]
Porsche 964 Carrera RS review: Tim Pitt lets Porsche’s road racer off its leash, but is this the ultimate 911? March 20, 2017 The Porsche 911 is the greatest sports car ever made. There, I’ve said it. This Darwinian survivor has evolved over five decades, transcending humble VW Beetle origins and shrugging off attempts to replace it. From air-cooled originals to today’s turbocharged Carrera, every 911 is iconic, idiosyncratic and unfailingly brilliant to drive. But which is the [...]