After the EU’s O2-Three merger decision, five questions for the UK mobile market May 11, 2016 Hutchison’s bid for O2 has been turned down in Europe. Here are five questions the UK mobile market is asking today Continued competition… Ofcom initially rejected the merger based on evidence that fewer competitors results in less pressure to keep prices down. It’s that same fear which informed today’s decision, despite assurances from Hutchison of a five year [...]
Mobile World Congress 2016: Google’s guide to getting your business noticed on smartphone February 19, 2016 On Monday, marketers will flock to Barcelona for the annual Mobile World Congress – four days of presentations, networking and plenty of sangria. But what most will be looking for is how to convince prospective customers to engage with their brand on the most intimate device we own. Smartphones have become so ingrained in our lives that for [...]
Area guide: Woolwich – why it’s tomorrow’s town April 1, 2016 It’s an unfortunate consequence of over-enthusiastic estate agents that an area described as “up-and-coming” is often, well, getting there but taking its sweet time about it. Woolwich was one such place for a long time, but 2016 is the year SE18 arrives on the property scene. “Woolwich has been touted as up-and-coming for the last [...]
The secret to building consensus around a bold new strategy May 26, 2016 Boardrooms, senior executives and politicians alike are facing growing challenges when it comes to getting decisions made. Whether it’s dealing with issues around the EU referendum, new company policies or investing in new technology, the number of different stakeholders involved is higher than ever before. In a room of different opinions, it is easy to fall [...]
Video: Here’s what Dave Lewis has to say about Tesco’s massive £6.4bn loss April 22, 2015 Tesco chief Dave Lewis has said he is not happy with the "significant" numbers in today's full-year results in which the supermarket reported record losses of £6.38bn. In a video discussing the latest figures alongside finance chief Alan Stewart, created by Tesco, when asked what's gone wrong, Lewis said the numbers were " significant" and [...]
Retailers’ relationships with suppliers go under the microscope in wake of Tesco profit overstatement May 29, 2015 The relationship between grocers and their suppliers will go under the microscope next year, as regulators attempt to stamp out the sort of behaviour that led to Tesco overstating its profits by £263m. The Financial Reporting Council, which monitors auditing and accountancy in the UK, said it would spend next year paying particular attention [...]
Lamborghini Huracan LP 6104 motoring review: I drove this monster to the school gates to prove to my son that I was the coolest Dad in the playground June 13, 2016 Spec Price: £181,895 0-62MPH: 3.2 secs Top speed: 202mph CO2 G/KM: 280g/km MPG combined: 22.6mpg The verdict Design ★★★★★ Performance ★★★★★ Practicality ★★☆☆☆ Value ★★☆☆ Like many men with children, I aspire to be a ‘cool dad’. I foist my musical choices on my children (“This album got five stars in Mojo!”), still wear trainers at every opportunity and [...]
Five things to expect from Tesco’s results this week: Billion-pound losses, a pension blackhole, property writedown and more April 20, 2015 If Tesco thought the worst was over, Wednesday is likely to take Dave Lewis and co screaming back to last year’s blackhole debacle as the supermarket reports full-year results that are expected to be the worst in its 96-year history. LATEST: Tesco racks up worse than expected £6.38bn loss in worst year in supermarket's history With [...]
High street retailers steal share of physical entertainment market from Amazon January 25, 2016 Sales of physical DVDs, CDs and video games may be dropping but bricks and mortar stores are still holding their own after taking market share from the likes of Amazon in the quarter. According to Kantar Worldpanel figures, high street retailers took 68 per cent of spend on physical entertainment in the 12 weeks to 20 [...]
Around 1,000 in-store Tesco managers accept redundancy rather than take a pay cut June 11, 2015 More than a fifth of Tesco's in-store management have taken voluntary redundancy rather than move onto a lower rate of pay, as part of a huge restructure of the supermarket. Around 1,000 people have left the grocer, which has effectively stripped out two layers of management – deputy manager and line support – from [...]