George Osborne may have made a fatal error by revealing his hand on Brexit April 21, 2016 The general public, together with economists unfamiliar with UK-EU cost-benefit analysis, probably found this week’s Brexit report from the Treasury persuasive, while cautiously acknowledging that they were being “scared”. Treasury economists, who are familiar with the economic arguments, clearly found it persuasive too – they produced it after all – although one must add the [...]
McLaren chief executive Mike Flewitt: There is no way we will ever make an SUV March 3, 2016 As the automotive world’s great and good descended on Geneva for its annual motor show this week, one topic was being discussed: SUVs. After Porsche launched its mammoth Cayenne range in 2012, this year Maserati followed suit, with the $72,000 Levante. Even Ferrari came over all practical, with the launch of its four-seater GTC4 Lusso. [...]
Nike ’til he dies: Nike gives LeBron James lifetime deal in a bid to replicate multi-billion dollar Air Jordan success December 8, 2015 Nike has given basketball ace LeBron James a lucrative "lifetime" deal in a bid to replicate the multi-billion dollar success of its Air Jordan brand. According to reports, the deal is the largest guarantee ever offered to a single athlete in Nike's history, trumping arrangements with even Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. James has been [...]
Of data leaks and oil spills: Tips for tackling a corporate crisis February 23, 2016 As Johnson & Johnson, BP, Volkswagen and TalkTalk can all attest, corporate crises are never easy. Communicating an assured and consistent message at a time when consumers may be vulnerable to fraud or even poisoning is one that few do well, especially when one eye is on the share price. “Businesspeople are used to being detached,” [...]
Peter Hetherington appointed chief executive of online trading firm IG Group December 4, 2015 Online derivatives trader IG Group has appointed Peter Hetherington as its chief executive. Hetherington took on the role of interim chief executive at the company's AGM in October, after Tim Howkins's retirement in July. Before that, he was the company's chief operating officer, and has been a board member since July 2002. “I am delighted to take on the role of [...]
What Boots’ brand score says about CEOs speaking out – Brand Index February 10, 2015 With the general election approaching and dominating the news agenda, one major issue that is currently being discussed is how the result will impact on business. Several high-profile business leaders have already made clear where their allegiances lie. Most prominent among those who have spoken out is Boots’ Italian-born chairman Stefano Pessina. He said of [...]
COP21 Paris climate summit: London climate march attracts “tens of thousands”, including Jeremy Corbyn, ahead of Paris UN deal talks November 29, 2015 Tens of thousands of people have turned out to attend a march in central London against climate change, reports suggest, as world leaders meet in Paris to agree a new deal for tackling the issue. The march, from Park Lane to Millbank outside parliament, coincides with the United Nations conference on Climate Change and is one of [...]
Lexus RX review: Will hybrid SUVs take over the market after VW’s dieselgate? March 7, 2016 Few things are as unwelcome in central London as a big, gas-guzzling SUV. One of them is a big, diesel SUV sporting a Volkswagen Group badge. Anti-diesel resentment has been bubbling for a number of years, culminating in the VW “dieselgate” emissions scandal that rocked (and continues rocking) the motor industry. However, one manufacturer has [...]
O consumer, where art thou? Near founder Anil Mathews on location intelligence and Facebook’s Free Basics April 4, 2016 It was once said that you can tell a lot about a man by his shoes. With today’s levels of smartphone penetration, you can probably tell more by his location data. By tracking the consumer’s journey both online and in the real world, location intelligence platforms are able to identify travellers, shoppers, students and other segmented [...]
John Lewis sales suffer post-Black Friday hangover but sales are still up year-on-year December 11, 2015 After reporting record-breaking numbers over Black Friday, John Lewis today said that it saw a double-digit drop in sales last week. Sales fell 11.8 per cent to £165.6m compared with the last week of November, although the number is still up 13.6 per cent on the same week last year. This is in stark contrast [...]