Amazon might be planning to launch online food service Fresh in the UK – but against Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and other major players, has it bitten off more than it can chew? September 23, 2015 If there were an award for the company that most shaped the retail zeitgeist over the past 10 years, then Amazon would most certainly be a contender. Its innovations have changed the way we shop. Such a pioneering status inevitably creates a great deal of interest. However, along with the interest come some hype: including the [...]
FTSE 100 index closes flat on last day of the month as supermarkets come into focus February 29, 2016 The FTSE 100 index closed slightly higher on the quiet last day of the month after the G20 disappointed over the weekend. The UK's blue-chip index closed 0.02 per cent higher at 6,097 points. "It was almost as if investors forgot about the leap day and no investments were planned on a quiet last day of the month," said [...]
As the EU says 20 per cent of Netflix content should be made in the European Union, is this a good reason to back Brexit? May 26, 2016 Len Shackleton, professor of economics at the University of Buckingham and fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, says Yes. A quota for tedious German family sagas or subsidised reworkings of Napoleon’s triumphs, compulsorily advertised on the Netflix homepage, may not itself drive voters to Brexit. But attempting to regulate video-on-demand is symptomatic of the Commission’s ever-expanding [...]
Retailer Amazon paid just £11.9mn in tax in 2014 June 25, 2015 The online retailing goliath Amazon’s UK business paid just £11.9mn in tax last year, despite earning £5.3bn in sales from British shoppers. Amazon’s Luxembourg arm, called Amazon EU Sarl, took in the £5.3bn of sales, with UK sales rising by 14 per cent in 2014. However, the British-based Amazon.co.uk Limited subsidiary recorded a profit of [...]
Retailer Amazon paid just £11.9mn in tax in 2014 June 25, 2015 The online retailing goliath Amazon’s UK business paid just £11.9mn in tax last year, despite earning £5.3bn in sales from British shoppers. Amazon’s Luxembourg arm, called Amazon EU Sarl, took in the £5.3bn of sales, with UK sales rising by 14 per cent in 2014. However, the British-based Amazon.co.uk Limited subsidiary recorded a profit of [...]
This London proptech startup’s landed £2m to help make renting less awful May 18, 2016 A London property technology startup which aims to be the Amazon of renting has landed several millions of pounds in funding from renowned tech investor Robin Klein, among others. Goodlord simplifies renting via an app which takes the hassle out of the paperwork with a "rental passport" that keeps hold of renters' information as well as making [...]
Carry on shopping: Alibaba defies China slowdown with fourth quarter revenue May 5, 2016 Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce giant, has defied the country's economic slowdown, reporting expectation-busting revenue. The Amazon of China's sales rose 39 per cent in the fourth quarter to 24.2bn yuan (£2.55bn) smashing estimates of around 23bn yuan, while income came in at 5.3bn yuan, a rise of 81 per cent. "Whatever they are doing must be working, and [...]
Hyperloop is coming to Europe as Slovakia plans to reduce travel from Bratislava to Vienna and Budapest to less than 10 minutes March 10, 2016 The most exciting transport innovation in the world right now – Elon Musk's ambitious Hyperloop – is coming to Europe and could create the fastest ever cross-border travel. A Hyperloop company has inked a deal with the government of Slovakia to explore bringing the super-fast transport to this side of the pond, potentially connecting Bratislava with Vienna in Austria and Budapest in Hungary [...]
From telecoms provider to tech innovator: Can the old guard make the leap? June 20, 2016 The global telecoms industry faces the most challenging risk environment in living memory. Profitability is being squeezed by disruptive competitors, regulatory change and unrelenting cyber attacks. The threats facing telecoms today are diversifying and multiplying. At BDO our recent industry report, 2016 Telecommunications Risk Factors Survey, highlights strategic and operational risks reported by sixty telecoms [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open June 8, 2016 Mixed data out of China is giving economists and experts hope the country is headed for a soft landing, while Hillary Clinton has given her first speech as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Here's what you need to know before the US open at 14:30 London time. US stock futures are looking up ahead of the open. The [...]