Wonga’s fallen soldiers: Errol Damelin, Tim Weller and Niall Wass – its lost chief executives November 20, 2014 To lose one chief executive may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness. Unfortunately, Wonga has just lost its third: today it emerged Tim Weller, who had been the company's interim chief exec since May, stepped down in October, according to filings at Companies House. Which just seems sloppy… So who are the [...]
Ebola suit maker Lakeland Industries needs to raise $11.2m to keep up with demand October 24, 2014 Lakeland Industries, the New York-based company which manufactures protective suits used by those treating Ebola patients, has announced plans to raise $11.2m (£7m). The company said it will raise the cash through a private placement of common stock, at $10 per share, with the proceeds going towards paying off its debts and "supporting the increased [...]
And the nominees are… September 7, 2014 TOMORROW: ACCOUNTANCY FIRM OF THE YEAR ALDI The German discounter has taken the British high street by storm. Aldi now has a 4.6 per cent share of the UK market, up more than one third in a year due to consumers choosing its quality and low prices over the more established retailers. It has even [...]
Taxi unions turn violent in protest against Uber January 13, 2014 French airports saw union violence today as demonstrators hurled rocks and paint at travellers using the innovative taxi service, Uber. Entrepreneur Kat Borlongan, had the windows of her taxi smashed and tyres slashed while travelling from Charles de Gaulle earlier today. Five taxi unions have brought their strength to bear to protest against services provided [...]
City AM awards: Business of the Year nominees announced September 7, 2014 I have great pleasure in introducing the first of our shortlists for the annual City A.M. awards. As ever, the awards have attracted nominations from all sorts of diverse businesses and people who have done great things during the course of the past year, a year of recovery in the UK. We have taken on [...]
Why the sharing economy could live up to the hype August 11, 2014 This was the summer the sharing economy truly hit London. First, we had black cabs bring Whitehall to a standstill with protests over the introduction of Uber, an app that allows you to call a cab wherever you are. Next, plans were announced to remove laws controlling short-term rentals, opening up the door for Airbnb [...]
Heatwave hits London: Here’s how the City’s soaking up the sun July 18, 2014 London is set for a scorcher today with temperatures expected to hit a sweltering 30C so grab a pair of sunnies and head outside if you can handle the heat. City workers look like they're mainly cooling down with a classic Mr Whippy topped with a 99 flake from a well placed ice cream van (cheaper [...]
Taxi app or London black cab: Which offers the best fares? June 11, 2014 Black-cab drivers are taking to the streets of London this afternoon in protest against Transport for London (TfL) and taxi app start up Uber (here's why, if you haven't been keeping up). In the battle of old vs new, tradition vs disrupters, which taxi services actually offer the best fare for you? Well, it depends, [...]
London is no Silicon Valley – here’s why that may be a good thing October 20, 2014 Geeks and startup types are again gathering today in Billingsgate for TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference, a celebration of London’s tech sector. There’s a lot to celebrate: the sector hasn’t been this hot since the days of the dot-com boom. Investors are toasting two billion-dollar exits this year: games designers Natural Motion and artificial intelligence wizards Deep [...]
Snapchat now fundraising with a $10bn valuation August 27, 2014 Ephemeral photo messaging app Snapchat is reportedly in the process of raising a new round of investment valuing the mobile messaging app at $10bn (£6bn), far above Facebook’s $3bn takeover offer last year. According to the Wall Street Journal, prolific Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer is said to have invested [...]