Turnaround plan looks set to pay off for Morrisons March 5, 2017 The turnaround at Morrisons supermarkets headed by CEO David Potts looks set to gather speed this week as the company reports its best annual results in six years. The chain is likely to report a 54 per cent rise in pre-tax earnings to £335m on Thursday, according to predictions by banking firm Jefferies. The firm [...]
As Amazon Fresh launches in London, does it pose a real threat to UK supermarkets? June 10, 2016 Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Worldpanel, says Yes. The last thing that the traditional British supermarkets want is another challenge to their model – they’re still busy fending off the shock of Aldi and Lidl’s sharp pricing model. Online grocery sales are growing well ahead of the overall market, so it’s [...]
Amazon rolls out fresh food service for paying, east London members June 9, 2016 US online retailer Amazon has today launched its fresh food delivery service in central and east London. The service is further restricted to Amazon’s Prime members, who pay a £79 per year fee for various TV and music streaming services and free delivery on certain items. Amazon, after taking significant market share from many of [...]
Skype billionaire Niklas Zennstrom and LocalGlobe back UK fintech startup Cleo and its Facebook AI chatbot for finance July 26, 2017 The billionaire co-founder of Skype and one of the UK’s top startup venture capital investors are backing a UK fintech behind a chatbot helping people with their finances that could kill off banking apps. Niklas Zennström along with Robin and Saul Klein’s LocalGlobe have invested £2m in a seed stage funding round of Cleo. Cleo’s [...]
The UK risks missing out on the benefits of driverless cars without government action March 15, 2017 The economic gains from driverless cars could bypass the UK entirely without rapid ministerial action, a House of Lords committee has warned. The UK has sought to be at the forefront of trials for autonomous vehicles, but peers have today said ministers must engage in a more cross-governmental approach. The House of Lords science and technology [...]
Forbes rich list: Bill Gates tops the pile, Warren Buffett gains, Trump slumps March 20, 2017 Bill Gates is the richest person in the world for the fourth year in a row with a fortune of $86bn (£68bn), according to Forbes' annual rich list. The Microsoft co-founder, a noted philanthropist, grew his wealth by $11bn during 2016. He has been the richest person on the planet for 18 out of the last 23 [...]
London retains financial services crown: City extends lead over New York, Hong Kong and Singapore in international ranking by Z/Yen September 11, 2017 London has maintained its position as the world’s number one global financial centre, according to a major international study out today, extending its lead over rivals New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. However, City chiefs have warned that London’s supremacy will come under threat if the government does not secure the right kind of Brexit [...]
George Orwell’s 1984 has shot to the top of bestseller lists because Trump January 25, 2017 George Orwell's 1984 may be a perennial classic, but it's been a long time since it was at the top of bestseller lists. Until now, that is… The novel, first published in 1949, has shot to the top of Amazon's best sellers list – with its rise attributed by many to the Trump administration's use [...]
As the CES tech show closes in Las Vegas, what will be the most exciting consumer development in 2017? January 9, 2017 Alex Wood, founder and editor of The Memo, says Amazon's Alexa. Amazon’s Alexa is about to take over the world, in a good way. The home of the future is filled with internet-connected devices but, until now, no one has figured out how we’ll manage all these bleeping and blooping smart machines. In Las Vegas [...]
UEFA Champions League auction: BT and Sky prepare bids but could others come to the party? February 28, 2017 BT and Sky will go head-to-head in a near billion pound battle over the UK television rights for European Champions League football. A tender process kicks off with bids needing to be in tomorrow to secure the rights that also include the Europa League and will run for three years starting from the 2018/19 season. BT Sport is the incumbent provider [...]