Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins talks pipes, politics and £1m election bets February 22, 2015 I don't know much in life, but I know how to run a plumbing company,” says Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, matter-of-factly. Mullins is entitled to his own opinions (and he’s got his fair share) but he’s probably wrong on this one. The self-made multi-millionaire is unerringly humble – he’s not just any managing [...]
New Year’s Eve 2014 in London – how to spend it December 29, 2014 It’s that time of year again – when everyone’s asking you what you’re doing on New Year’s Eve.Some are lucky enough to already have the evening planned, but many Londoners are still trying to work out how to mark the occasion. If you’re unsure of what to do, here are some ideas to help ensure [...]
The growing problem of obesity: Almost half the global population will be overweight by 2030 November 20, 2014 The world is eating more and doing less. The result? Our waistlines are rapidly expanding. In fact, almost half the world will be overweight or obese by 2030 if we allow our self-indulgence to continue along its current trajectory. According to a report by McKinsey, 2.1bn people fall into the “overweight” category, which [...]
Three tech firms surge to $260bn on grey market March 24, 2014 THREE upcoming initial public offerings (IPOs) from tech firms King Digital Entertainment, Alibaba and Just Eat are all set to beat analyst expectations with a combined valuation of over $260bn (£158bn), according to IG’s IPO grey market. King, the British games giant and creator of Candy Crush Saga, has already hit a valuation of $8.7bn, [...]
Goldman left holding Sports Direct stock after Ashley’s sale April 9, 2014 GOLDMAN Sachs has failed to sell all the 24m shares in Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct it took onto its books on Monday afternoon. Market sources believe that Goldman Sachs might have a large portion of the £204m block unsold after a torrid time on Tuesday when Sports Direct shares fell sharply from 883.5p to 811p. [...]
Sheer satisfaction: Zendesk founder Mikkel Svane on providing better customer service July 13, 2014 Harriet Green talks IPOs, big data and radical taxis with Zendesk’s founder Mikkel Svane. An O2 survey last year found that 70 per cent of people wouldn’t forgive a company for bad customer service. Two thirds also said they’d share their experience with an average of eight friends and family members. Mikkel [...]
Oxo Tower Restaurant has great food but the lighting left us a little blue February 10, 2015 The Oxo Tower Restaurant has been chugging along forever, minding its own business. Harvey Nicks has run the eighth-floor dining room for 19 years. Its head chef Jeremy Bloor has been there for 12, while the restaurant manager is a relative rookie, with only nine years under his belt. Located on the South Bank, in [...]
Retail investors excluded from Polypipe float March 18, 2014 BRITISH plastic piping manufacturer Polypipe is the latest company to announce its plans to float on the London Stock Exchange, as it looks to take advantage of the UK construction market recovery. Around half of the company’s share capital will be up for grabs, but like online food takeaway business Just-Eat, which announced its plans [...]
London Report: Supermarkets’ results to show split in fortunes May 5, 2014 THE varying fortunes of the UK’s supermarkets will be revealed this week as Morrisons gives its quarterly results while Sainsbury’s announces full-year figures. Sainsbury’s annual results are forecast to show that underlying pre-tax profits rose 3.5 per cent to £782m. However investors will be anxious to see the company’s plans for the next year, especially [...]
What is China’s Singles Day? Alibaba nears record-breaking billion-dollar sales target in one day November 11, 2014 The 11th day of the 11th month has a very different meaning in China – in case you haven't heard, today is Singles Day, because of the combination of two 'ones'. But having initially been a day for young singles to meet future partners, and also eat lots of deep fried dough sticks and dumplings, [...]