Freezer King bags £542m as AO.com soars February 26, 2014 AO WORLD founder John Roberts is sitting on cash and shares worth around £542m after the online white goods empire he founded 14 years ago made a grand entrance onto the London Stock Exchange yesterday, with shares leaping 32 per cent. Roberts has reduced his 40 per cent stake to 28.6 per cent, the company [...]
Down the Tubes: Boris mucks in amid transport meltdown February 5, 2014 (Laura Lean/City A.M.) Boris Johnson has had an interesting commute in on the Northern Line this morning as the Tube strike over ticket office closures causes huge disruption across the network. The Mayor spoke to commuters and Tube staff working at London Bridge – as well as some of the TfL staff volunteering at stations in [...]
Guardian sells off the rest of Auto Trader to Apax Partners January 21, 2014 GUARDIAN Media Group yesterday agreed to sell its remaining stake in Auto Trader publisher Trader Media Group to private equity firm Apax Partners. The proposed sale of GMG’s 50.1 per cent stake follows the group’s 2007 disposal of a 49.9 per cent stake in Trader Media to Apax. The value of the deal is said [...]
ITV to bring Britain new pay-TV drama channel January 29, 2014 Britian's about to get a new pay-TV channel that's dedicated to British drama. As part of a new four-year partnership between ITV and BSkyB, ITV is launching Encore, which’ll be exclusive to Sky’s satellite and online platforms. ITV Encore will broadcast re-runs of shows previously aired by the provider, including hits like Downton Abbey (cast [...]
Innovation Diary: You can start a company and keep a career – and you don’t need to be a part-time entrepreneur March 2, 2014 WORKING 5 to 9 isn’t a Dolly Parton misprint, but the title of a book by Enterprise Nation’s Emma Jones on the growing popularity of part-time startups. Casual entrepreneurship, fostered by services like AirBnB and Rentmygarden.co.uk, can be an opportunity to make some money on the side by renting out your assets. And the already-wealthy [...]
Lancaster asks Farrell to be our Carter and stun All Blacks again November 14, 2013 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has praised fly-half Owen Farrell’s knack of rising to the occasion and urged him to do so again when world champions New Zealand visit Twickenham tomorrow. Masterminding the All Blacks’ bid to complete 2013 unbeaten and make amends for their defeat on the same turf 12 months ago will be [...]
Introducing: the designs of the year March 18, 2014 The ingenious creations that are set to define tomorrow’s world MOST museum shows look back to the past. With flying cars, floating schools and wheelchairs that grow with the owner, this one is all about the future. Next week the seventh Designs of the Year exhibition opens at the Design Museum, and the broad selection [...]
Running your personal best time through the rainforest April 13, 2014 The day after the London Marathon, Kasmira Jefford tells us where to head for the next race IT IS is not yet eight in the morning but already the heat and humidity is cloying as I run down the long, red-earth road that skirts the south side of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, [...]
JQW planning £140m London public offering November 4, 2013 CHINESE e-commerce operator JQW has announced its intention to raise up to £15m in a flotation on London’s Alternative Investment Market (Aim) next month. JQW provides small and medium-sized Chinese business an online platform to advertise their products to other businesses. The company is hoping to use the funds raised to expand its business to [...]
A gourmet Tuscan break with a splash of luxury January 19, 2014 From fine olive oil and rolling vineyards to hunting for truffles in the forests surrounding San Gimignano, the heart of Italy is the perfect place for a foodie winter getaway ON MY second day at Castello di Casole, the concierge told me that an American tech supremo recently booked out the entire villa complex for [...]