Is UK online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter about to be bought by Amazon? March 27, 2015 Is Amazon planning to get into high-end fashion retailing? The US tech giant is reportedly in talks to acquire Net-a-Porter, the British online luxury fashion retailer. It would be a bold move for Amazon, which already has clothing categories on its site – although many of the listings tend to feature the word "polyester". According [...]
Chinese consumers are changing their habits rapidly as luxury has suffered a slow death and online takes off April 24, 2016 Beijing is awash with restaurants, but locals Cherry and Andy Ho haven’t bothered going out to eat for months. The proliferation of Groupon-style coupons and deals means it’s easier to have food delivered. It’s half the cost, with no delivery charge – great for consumers, but not so good for some traditional businesses. Indeed, this was among [...]
Poor little rich boys: The wealth of the world’s billionaires, including Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Carlos Slim, shrank by $19bn in 2015 December 29, 2015 The wealth of the world's 400 richest people shrank by $19bn (£12.7bn) in 2015, with three of the five richest people losing $34bn between them. That's according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, falling commodities and slow growth in China caused the world's richest to lose out. The heart bleeds… Mexican telecoms billionaire Carlos Slim, once the [...]
The seven things to look out for at Apple WWDC June 12, 2016 Apple's already launched a phone this year, but there's more to come from the tech titan, and some of that will be revealed at its developer conference next week. Don't expect the iPhone 7 yet though, this will be all about software and services rather than devices. Last year, we had a bumper one that [...]
Lack of long-term investment in early stage companies is damaging the economy May 4, 2016 Lack of long-term investment in early stage and innovative companies is damaging the economy, leading fund managers have said. “Our society has increasingly lost its way. Fund management should be doing rightful investment for the world and I think it’s a really serious problem [that they’re not],” says James Anderson, manager of the highly regarded Scottish [...]
Black Friday 2015 UK: An interactive guide to the best deals, the history of the sales bonanza, whether it’s good for business – plus Cyber Monday November 27, 2015 The 2015 incarnation of Black Friday is set to be the UK’s biggest ever shopping day with some estimates suggesting almost £2bn will be spent on deals, sales and offers at the country’s biggest retail stores – both online and on the high streets. But what is it all about, why does it matter for [...]
Best Black Friday 2015 UK deals on sportswear, gear and trainers from JD Sports, Sports Direct, SportsShoes.com, Decathlon, Pro:Direct and others November 26, 2015 The frenzied sales of Black Friday have become synonymous with crazed customers fighting over cut-price HD TVs amid shopping aisle stampedes – but it doesn't have to be so stressful. In fact, avoid going out altogether and instead of a new screen to give your eyes a good glazing, order some sportswear to get you off [...]
Britain wants to woo US tech entrepreneurs to expand their businesses in London and the UK with SXSW campaign launch by mayor’s office and UKTI March 10, 2016 Britain wants to woo more US tech entrepreneurs and encourage them to set up shop in London and elsewhere in the UK, in a bid to steal the crowns from San Francisco and New York as the hottest tech hotspots in the world. London is the most desirable destination for foreign tech workers in Europe looking to relocate [...]
Skype founders take on 24-hour delivery market with launch of self-driving robot November 2, 2015 Forget delivery vans or even using your legs to walk to the shops for that matter. The founders of Skype plan to shake-up the grocery delivery market with a fleet of self-driving robots that will be able to drop groceries on your doorstep within 30 minutes. Starship Technologies, founded by Skype’s Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, has [...]
Black Friday UK 2015: EBay has just unveiled its first deals for bargain-hunters including offers on Macbook Pro, Xbox One Console, LG 50 inch Smart LED TV, Lenovo Notebook November 23, 2015 As all good retailers know, Black Friday is not about incremental sales, it's about being the first to snare the finite amount of cash consumers are willing to spend in the run-up to Christmas. Amazon has kickstarted the process with the first of its 7,000 deals going live this morning. Carphone Warehouse, Very and a host of [...]