I spent the entire day on the sofa using only my smartphone to feed, clean, entertain, wash and supply me. Here is my story. April 7, 2016 There’s never been a better time to have an aversion to effort. Fuelled by a heady mix of collective laziness and a perceived lack of free time, a new breed of smartphone app has rocketed to popularity: the convenience app; the concierge app; the can’t be bothered doing it myself app. All of them developed [...]
SSP revenues hit by stronger UK currency July 21, 2015 TRAVEL food-stop company SSP Group yesterday said that currency changes had made a big impact on what should be a successful year. SSP has seen a good year of trading so far, with total revenues increasing by 4.1 per cent on a constant currency basis according to its third-quarter trading update released yesterday. Unfortunately for [...]
Supermoon, Uber’s drama and Jeremy Corbyn’s 80s flashback: Here’s what got us talking this week October 2, 2015 It was the week in which everyone saw red – from water on the red planet to the rare super-blood moon to a sudden surge in the popularity of Donald Trump Halloween wigs. And, of course, the Labour Party conference. In fact, the only one not wearing rose-coloured glasses was Burger King, which unveiled a [...]
Just Eat fends off rivals with surge in profits August 4, 2015 JUST Eat is gobbling up market share, with profits soaring by almost two thirds in the first half as more hungry customers flocked to its website. The online takeaway giant has been taking the UK and other countries by storm since it was founded 14 years ago, taking advantage of a market that was slow [...]
Burger King to leave US in $20bn tax inversion deal August 25, 2014 Burger King is in talks to combine with Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons in a deal that would create a fast food empire with a market valuation of over $20bn (£12bn). The companies confirmed they had entered merger talks late on Sunday, and said the new merged group would be based in Canada, [...]
What a whopper: Burger King completes £6.8bn deal with Tim Hortons August 26, 2014 Burger King has agreed to create the world's third-largest fast food restaurant by buying Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons. Under the deal, Tim Hortons shareholders will receive C$65.50 in cash and 0.8025 shares of the merged company for each share they own. That values the Canadian company at about C$12.5bn (£6.8bn). Shares closed [...]
The Whopper of all rows: Burger King slammed by customers after Tim Horton deal August 26, 2014 Burger King was forced to issue a statement claiming its merger with doughnut business Tim Horton was “not tax-driven” after receiving a barrage of criticism on social media today. The burger giant today struck a deal to create the world's third largest fast food restaurant with a market capitalisation of $20bn (£12bn), as part [...]
Forecourt owner Applegreen set for London float May 28, 2015 APPLEGREEN, one of Ireland’s biggest petrol forecourt retailers, announced plans yesterday to make a £230m stock market debut, in what will be the first Irish retail initial public offering (IPO) since the recession. Applegreen is part of Irish fuel group Petrogas, founded by former Esso executive Bob Etchingham in 1994. It has 152 forecourts including [...]
Burger King tax row hits Warren Buffett after Tim Hortons takeover announcement August 26, 2014 Burger King and US tycoon Warren Buffett were forced to defend a £7bn (£4.25bn) takeover of Canadian chain Tim Hortons yesterday amid mounting political tension in America over tax inversions. The Miami-based giant said it would buy the coffee and doughnut chain for $11.4bn and relocate to Ontario, Canada – seemingly to benefit from [...]
Floyd Mayweather retains status as Forbes’ highest-paid athlete in the world June 10, 2015 Floyd Mayweather Jr. has been named as the highest-paid athlete in the world by Forbes magazine for the second year in a row, despite having appeared in only one competitive event in 2015 so far. The unbeaten boxer, who overcame Manny Pacquiao in the richest fight in the sport's history last month, has made $300m [...]