Grab buys investment startup as it beefs up financial offering February 4, 2020 Softbank-backed startup Grab today said it has acquired retail wealth management startup Bento as the app looks to expand its financial services offering. The Singapore-based firm said Bento will be rebranded as Grab Invest, and its products will be rolled out in its home market and across southeast Asia in the first half of the [...]
Coronavirus: Ikea shuts mainland China stores following outbreak January 29, 2020 Ikea is the latest company to announce it will temporarily close stores in China due to the outbreak of coronavirus. The Swedish retailer will shut around half of its 30 stores in mainland China until further notice to help halt the spread of the disease, the company’s owner Ingka Group said. Other global chains including [...]
Softbank board loses dissenting voice as Uniqlo founder leaves December 27, 2019 The founder of clothes company Uniqlo will resign from the board of Softbank after 18 months in the job. Tadashi Yanai, who is chief executive of Uniqlo, will leave the Softbank independent board member post at the end of the month to focus on his fashion business. Read more: Softbank ‘tightening governance’ at firms it [...]
Battle of the brands: Addison Lee tops list of most London-centric brands April 8, 2019 Taxi firms, shopping centres and local radio stations are among the brands which are most well known only to those living in the capital, a new study has found. Addison Lee topped Yougov's index of the most London-centric brands, with 83 per cent of Londoners knowing about the taxi hire firm compared with 29 per [...]
Shopping centre landlord Intu swings to a loss after swallowing £1.4bn hit to property values February 20, 2019 Embattled shopping centre landlord Intu moved into the red last year, as more than £1.4bn was wiped off the value of its property following a swathe of retail challenges. Shares in the group dived almost 10 per cent in early morning trading. The figures Losses at the FTSE 250 firm, which suffered two failed takeover bids [...]
Legal Q&A: Why has Colin Kaepernick filed a trade mark of his image? October 28, 2018 Colin Kaepernick has made headlines over the last two years for protesting against police brutality by kneeling during the US national anthem ahead of an NFL fixture. The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback has also been in the public eye for fronting an eye-catching Nike campaign. After gaining such significant exposure for his personal brand [...]
Wimbledon 2018: What Roger Federer’s $300m Uniqlo deal tells us about the state of tennis sponsorship July 8, 2018 On the eve of Wimbledon, men’s tennis news was again dominated by the same old names: Andy Murray’s late withdrawal, Novak Djokovic’s re-built serving action, Rafael Nadal’s lack of grass-court preparation and, of course, Roger Federer’s bumper new kit deal with Japanese brand Uniqlo. This is no surprise to the casual fan, for the Big [...]
Black Friday UK 2016: Fashion deals available today November 25, 2016 Black Friday is upon us so it's probably time to completely overhaul your wardrobe – here's a roundup of the best deals among high street and designer brands. Asos has a massive 20 per cent off all clothing if you use the code GOGOGO – the sale is running over the weekend. High street favourite [...]
City A.M.’s Rio 50: These are the 50 most marketable athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games August 3, 2016 Do you thrill to the Mobot? Or tingle when Jess Ennis-Hill ducks for the line? Perhaps it’s Usain Bolt’s signature To Di World celebration, an Andy Murray fist pump, or gymnastics doyenne Simone Biles cheekily winking during a floor routine that brings out the goose-pimples. Everyone has their favourites: those sportsmen and women who we [...]
Japan’s Fast Retailing – owner of Uniqlo – issues second profit warning this year July 14, 2016 Japan's Fast Retailing has issued another profit warning, and expects income in the year to 31 August to dip by 60 per cent compared to last year, despite an uptick in sales. The Uniqlo owner expects to report profit of ¥ 45bn (£322m) – a 25 per cent reduction on the previously projected ¥ 60bn. In the nine [...]