Tech startup Trouva, a marketplace for independent shops, raises $10m November 12, 2017 Tech startup Trouva, an website that provides independent shops with the ability to sell online, has raised fresh cash from investors. BGF Ventures has led the $10m (£7.6m) series A, with Index Ventures, a previous backer of fashion firms Farfetch, Etsy and Asos, and Octopus Investments also participating. Trouva acts as a marketplace for small [...]
On trend: Invest in the new era of British fashion brands February 21, 2018 The past few days have been some of the most important in London’s fashion calendar. As Fashion Week graced us with its presence once more, City A.M.’s Alys Keys reported on the shift towards a more democratic industry, propped up by the power of digital influencers. The internet will continue to redefine how we shop, [...]
Last Week in the City: Markets Trumped by trade fears June 22, 2018 The week was dominated by trade war fears as Donald Trump said he would slap further tariffs on Chinese goods should there be any retaliatory measures. Despite this, Nasdaq hit a record high, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average erased all its gains in 2018 so far. The FTSE 100 fell 0.5% over the week [...]
Tapping third-party app stores to improve downloads July 25, 2017 Generally speaking, app developers, like brands in a supermarket, are in a battle for two scarce resources: consumer attention and shelf space. Lab Cave, a mobile games company headquartered in Madrid, is looking beyond distribution on the “digital shelves” of the Apple App Store and Google Play. It’s part of a bid to cash in [...]
London tech startups head on Brexit trade mission to France with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan October 23, 2017 The Mayor of London is leading a delegation of top tech startups to Paris to rustle up investment interest from across the channel and bolster innovation ties between the two cities. Entrepeneurs from Smartzer, a platform which can make online video shoppable, pregnancy health app Baby2Body and Realeyes, which uses technology to read emotional reactions [...]
UK small and mid cap shares: in search of growth November 28, 2017 For equity investors seeking exciting growth companies the UK market offers some compelling opportunities. Investors in UK-quoted companies have two key markets from which to choose: the main market of the London Stock Exchange with its well-established FTSE indices and 319-year pedigree (see footnote 1), and relative newcomer the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). For active [...]
Asos reports soaring sales despite fashion industry woes October 18, 2016 Online fashion giant Asos has reported soaring sales despite the widespread struggles of the fashion industry. The figures Retail sales came in at £1.4bn, up 26 per cent, in the year to 31 August, with £603.8m coming from the UK. Read more: Asos set to bag a Brexit win this week Pre-tax profit for the year [...]
Asos vs Assos: Asos just paid out £20m to settle a trademark dispute September 2, 2016 In the battle of Asos vs Assos, there were only ever going to be two winners. Online retail giant Asos announced today it had settled a trademark dispute with Assos of Switzerland, a high-performance cycle wear manufacturer and German menswear retailer Anson's Herrenhaus. Asos said it will pay a total of £20.2m in cash to Assos and [...]
Asos to move employees onto a higher living wage in the next 18 months October 18, 2016 Hitting back at accusations that it mistreats workers, Asos said today it will be moving employees onto the living wage foundation level of pay over the next year and a half. The Living Wage Foundation sets a separate minimum wage for employers that companies opt-in for. Currently, companies in the scheme pay a minimum of £8.25 [...]
Asos set to bag a Brexit win this week when it reports its results October 16, 2016 Asos is set to be crowned a Brexit winner this week when it reports its results for the year on Tuesday, with profits expected to rise by over 30 per cent. Half of Asos' customers are overseas, helping the online retailer mitigate against the pain of the slump in sterling. It's fortunes are in stark [...]