The 9 biggest winners and losers of from the Fifty Shades of Grey effect – B&Q, London Fire Brigade, Teddy Bears, midwives and more February 13, 2015 Fifty Shades of awesome: The winners 1. B&Q B&Q has come in a winner among the many, many, shameless Fifty Shades bandwagon jumping stakes. For a usually family-friendly DIY store, the “leak” of an email warning staff to expect a run on duct tape, rope and cable ties from adventurous shoppers inspired the movie was [...]
Fifa world rankings: Wales’ staggering performance against the odds summed up in two charts April 9, 2015 Wales' football team have risen to their highest ever Fifa world ranking thanks to a strong start to their quest for qualification for Euro 2016. Rising to 22nd in the world, Wales are now ranked above countries such as the Ivory Coast, Russia, USA, Australia and Ghana. After winning three of five games in Euro [...]
Any Other Business – 29/05 May 29, 2014 The Capitalist has been bowled over by the respondents to yesterday’s offer of free tickets to this weekend’s Foodies Festival – a clear indication of gastronomic love in the City. They came in thick and fast, inspiring us to add a few more pairs of tickets to the pot. Assuming all winners will pop along, [...]
Classy Queen’s Club set for landmark year… and an invasion of false onions June 11, 2015 West London venue has never been so prominent but has retained its charm THE SERENE surrounds of Queen’s Club are well acquainted with briefly assuming centre stage to usher in the British grass-court summer, but this time around the historic establishment is preparing itself for a prolonged and more intense spell in the spotlight. This [...]
Taxi ride-sharing app Maaxi launches to join a crowded cab rank April 14, 2015 Maaxi, the black cab ride-sharing app will be launched today, joining the line-up in an already-competitive London taxi market. But founder and chief executive Gabriel Campos, former boss of online gaming website Pokerstars, insists the new offering is not just another taxi scheme, but rather “door-to-door public transport”. Campos, whose main backer is Nat [...]
Football’s last chance saloon: The tournament where unemployed players duke it out for a contract September 11, 2015 The lemon-coloured corridors of the Leiden Holiday Inn are dotted with men in matching tracksuits, slouching on lobby couches, flicking through smartphones or making frantic phone calls. They’re unemployed footballers, here in the small Dutch city half an hour south of Amsterdam to compete in the Fifpro summer tournament and find work for the [...]
BG Group agrees to £47bn takeover by Royal Dutch Shell in oil mega-merger April 8, 2015 Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has announced a takeover of BG Group, in a deal valuing gas producer BG at £47bn. Shell will pay a premium of around 50 per cent on BG’s shares, which closed up by 6.74 per cent at 910.40p yesterday, giving it a market capitalisation of £31bn. BG’s board have recommended [...]
Car auctioneer owner aims for listing hat-trick June 23, 2014 THE OWNER of British Car Auctions (BCA) is plotting another foray onto the London stock market, buoyed by the success of two similar share sales earlier this year. New York-based outfit Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, which bought BCA in February 2010, is on the verge of appointing half a dozen investment banks to bring the [...]
Greek crisis complacency has big risks – CNBC Comment June 1, 2015 Would you believe that 14 weeks have already passed since the Greek bailout extension deal was agreed? That’s about 2,352 hours of twists and turns, reform talks, rumours and misinformation. No wonder most analysts and investors admit to being bored. But is that boredom breeding complacency, and can investors dare to hope that this week [...]
London FinTech startup WorldRemit raises $100m from Silicon Valley investors TVC and Accel Partners valuing firm at $500m February 18, 2015 WorldRemit, the London-based FinTech startup, has bagged a $100m (£65m) investment from Silicon Valley investors, valuing the firm at $500m. The series B funding round, from US venture firm Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV), along with existing backer Accel Partners, is the latest investment in financial technology firms emerging from the capital. The $100m backing from [...]