Sainsbury’s and Tesco ditch Transport for London’s Tube station Click & Collect scheme June 17, 2015 It seems the retail revolution is still a little way off, after supermarket giants Sainsbury's and Tesco ditched a scheme introduced by Transport for London (TfL) to let shoppers collect their groceries at Tube stations. Read more: TfL given the green light to turn its HQ into flats The scheme, introduced amid much pomp and [...]
A robot might steal your job, but it can never take your humanity July 26, 2015 The benefits of using robots in the workplace are abundantly clear. Companies with a robot workforce would be able to operate 24/7 without paying staff, would have an attendance rate of 100 per cent, and would have access to pre-programmed employees who would never make mistakes – and all for a one-off payment. No more [...]
Amazon halts Disney orders of Maleficent and Captain America after price row August 10, 2014 Amazon halted pre-orders of a number of Disney movies on its US website yesterday in what appears to be another contract dispute, following a pricing spat with publisher Hachette Book Group. Last night physical copies of Disney titles such as Maleficent and Captain America: The Winter Soldier were unavailable for pre-order on Amazon.com. Amazon blocked [...]
These are the most valuable brands in the world: Apple, Google, Microsft and IBM dominate in BrandZ 2015 ranking as tech triumphs May 27, 2015 Apple has overtaken Google as the most valuable brand in the world, reassuming the top spot in an annual ranking in which technology dominates. The value of the Apple brand grew 67 per cent, with an estimated worth of more than $245bn. The stellar performance of Apple over the past year pushed Google into second [...]
Worsening losses drive Amazon shares downward after results July 24, 2014 AMAZON shares plunged in after-hours trading last night, as the firm reported a net loss of $126m (£74.18m), an even worse outcome than analysts expected. The second quarter results drove the share price down by more than nine per cent in after-hours trading, following a 0.13 per cent boost during the day. The loss was [...]
Four business books to read this summer July 12, 2015 Develop a subscription service from your sunlounger. Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg founded an online bookclub, promising to read a new book every two weeks. From Jeff Bezos to Zappos’s Tony Hsieh, many top business leaders are bound by a love of books. It can be hard to pack 400 pages into a punishing [...]
Amazon tells readers to email Hachette boss Michael Pietsch and ask for cheaper ebooks August 10, 2014 In the latest chapter of the fight between Amazon and book publisher Hachette, the internet bookseller has urged readers to email Hachette boss Michael Pietsch asking him to lower the price of ebooks. Currently locked in an ongoing battle over how much ebooks should sell for, a note on www.readersunited.com and signed from “The Amazon [...]
The rise of reward crowdfunding in Europe September 10, 2015 Harriet Green asks Indiegogo’s Anastasia Emmanuel about the platform’s experience in new markets WHAT does the rewards and donation-based crowdfunding sector look like today? Despite having a longer history than equity and debt crowdfunding, the fast-growth of platforms which offer perks and non-monetary rewards in return for investment doesn’t get so much media time. Indiegogo, [...]
Richemont confirms talks with Yoox over Net-a-Porter takeover March 30, 2015 It turns out that Richemont, the private equity owner of Net-a-Porter, is in talks with Yoox, Net-a-Porter's Italian rival, over a possible "deal". The news follows rumours last week that Amazon was sniffing around the luxury shopping site, with a deal thought to be worth as much as €2bn (£1.47bn) on the cards. But today [...]
Amazon brings battle with book publishers to the UK June 27, 2014 Amazon has been accused of bullying UK publishers in the latest upset between the book industry and the ecommerce giant. An investigation by the Bookseller, the industry trade magazine, found Amazon was putting UK publishers under "heavy pressure" when it came to agreeing new contract terms. Publishing houses are worried about certain terms proposed in [...]