Amazon pioneers drones for deliveries December 2, 2013 Online retailer Amazon is testing unmanned drones to deliver products to consumers in record times. Instead of being the preserve of the US military and law enforcement, drones could be making the Christmas delivery rounds within five years according to the company. Amazon chief executive, Jeff Bezos told CBS television's 60 Minutes "We can do [...]
City Moves for 10 October 2014 | Who’s switching jobs October 22, 2014 Innesco John Heawood has been appointed non-executive chairman of the marketing communications agency. Heawood is former group executive director for UK property at Segro, partner at DTZ Debenham Tie Leung and managing director of the Ashtenne Industrial Fund. KPMG The professional services firm has appointed Neill Thomas as head of corporate finance and Andrew Nicholson [...]
Watchdog drops Amazon probe November 26, 2013 Germany’s competition watchdog has dropped an investigation into Amazon after it agreed to stop forcing third-party merchants to offer their cheapest price when selling on its site. Amazon said in August it would stop its policy in the EU that prevented merchants selling on its Marketplace from offering lower prices on other sites. The German [...]
Asos CEO Nick Robertson: Bruised and burnt but fighting back October 21, 2014 What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, Nick Robertson declared yesterday. The Asos chief executive has had a tough year, riddled with profit warnings, a fire at its main warehouse, and slowing international sales that have left the firm’s shares badly bruised. Until this year, Asos’ shares have enjoyed a meteoric rise, thanks to [...]
How we can turn London’s thriving tech startups into billion dollar digital giants November 16, 2014 Just four years after the Prime Minister and the mayor of London launched the Tech City initiative, London now has one of the fastest growing technology sectors in the world. Visitors to any of its tech hubs will be struck by the industry and dynamism of the capital’s entrepreneurs and startups, driving innovation and change. [...]
RBS, Lloyds and Standard Life share prices rise as investors get giddy over Scottish No vote September 19, 2014 What a difference a week makes. Just a few days ago, the likes of RBS, Lloyds and Standard Life were all threatening to move south of the border in the event of a no vote, on the grounds that an independent Scotland would be too shaky to operate properly in. But today, investors showed their [...]
Alibaba share price soars on huge market debut September 20, 2014 Shares in Alibaba went up by 38 per cent during its stock market debut yesterday, leading the biggest IPO in US history. The Chinese e-commerce giant started trading on Friday under the ticker "BABA" on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares were so popular that the price had to be revised up eight [...]
Alibaba has priced its shares, and it’s going to be the biggest IPO ever September 18, 2014 Alibaba has priced its initial public offering at $68 per share – the top end of its price range. The pricing will raise the e-commerce giant $21.77bn and value the company at $167.62bn, making it one of the largest IPOs in history. Shares in the Chinese company will begin trading on the New York Stock [...]
Can professional video gaming take off in the UK? Gfinity just launched the first eSports arena – welcome to the weird world of video game voyeurism March 31, 2015 It’s been a big couple of weeks for UK sport. Roy Hodgson’s England side took a step closer to qualifying for Euro 2016, the Six Nations came to a dramatic conclusion, Sheffield boxer Kell Brook defended his world title – and the UK’s first eSports arena staged its premier event. Professional video gaming has launched [...]
Alibaba listing’s legal fees set to dwarf Facebook September 7, 2014 ALIBABA, the Chinese e-commerce giant that sells more than Amazon and Ebay combined and is seeking to raise over $21bn (£12.8bn) in its float this month, will pay some of the highest legal fees for a US listing, six times what Facebook paid two years ago. The legal fees for Alibaba’s public listing, $15.8m according [...]