David Harrison, co-founder of Positive Solutions and True Potential, talks tin baths, skinny men with beards, Boris and why we need a Super Isa January 23, 2017 An article was doing the rounds on Twitter last week: Don’t let Boris Wooster bugger up Brexit. This is how David Harrison, founder of two multi-million pound financial services firms and former builder, feels about our irrepressible foreign secretary. “He’s not helping Theresa, is he? A loose cannon who walks on sounding like he’s just [...]
Budget 2017: The full text of chancellor Philip Hammond’s speech March 8, 2017 Philip Hammond has delivered his first – and last – Spring Budget. Headline announcements included more cash for social care and punishing new rules for the self-employed – plus some vague comments on business rates. Read more: City A.M.'s TL;DR version of the Spring 2017 Budget Here's what he said: Mr Deputy Speaker, I report [...]
Deliveroo teams up with Heineken to create new booze delivery brand November 16, 2016 Deliveroo has announced a new partnership with Heineken which will see the two launch a new brand, Brew House, through which customers will be able to order beer and cider directly to their homes. Brew House launches in London today, and will be rolled out across the rest of the UK by the end of this year, [...]
Today’s the day: Small Business Saturday is back for a fourth time December 3, 2016 Small businesses in London: brace yourselves for a very busy day. For Small Business Saturday has arrived and the nation is being encouraged to shop local and support their small firms. The UK is home to 5.5m small businesses and they're responsible for 60 per cent of private sector employment and contribute £1.8 trillion in turnover [...]
Mitchells & Butlers reports a drop in annual profits citing cost pressures and competition November 22, 2016 Pub and restaurant operator Mitchells & Butlers announced a drop in like-for-like sales as annual profits fell by more than a quarter for the year ended 24 September. The figures Like-for-like sales were down on the whole by 0.8 per cent, but the company is progressing toward growth with a rise of 0.5 per cent the last eight weeks' sales. Like-for-like food volumes [...]
Wellcome Trust set for $100m windfall from Snap IPO as tech firm woos City investors February 20, 2017 The Wellcome Trust is set for a huge windfall from the hottest tech IPO of the year. Snap's public offering, expected next week, will return around $100m (£80.3m) to the science institution following on from successful early bets on Facebook and Alibaba, among others. It comes as the Los Angeles-based startup sought to woo European investors, bringing its IPO [...]
Seatbelt laws created a new danger – and a lesson for investors April 18, 2017 Australia was first to enact seatbelt legislation in 1970, creating some unexpected results. It underlines an important point for investors about risk, according to value investing blogger Kevin Murphy. No matter what anyone may tell you or try to do, attempts to reduce risk in any system – investment or otherwise – only succeed in [...]
Falling oil prices are an opportunity for the City to help the Gulf States diversify February 1, 2016 I returned last week from an eight-day business visit to the Gulf, during which I moved between Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Every lord mayor in recent memory has made a point of visiting the Gulf, not just because of its economic importance but because the City can support the region’s countries in [...]
Those who benefit from new infrastructure should pay for it December 6, 2016 To many people’s relief, there were not many big ideas in Philip Hammond’s Autumn Statement last month. In so far as there was anything new, it was the widely-trailed extra investment in innovation, infrastructure and housing. The justification for spending money on these things is that it will raise productivity and growth. There is no question [...]
Government to launch £5bn fund to help small developers solve the housing crisis before the Autumn Statement August 23, 2016 The government will unveil a fund worth up to £5bn aimed at helping to solve the housing crisis in the weeks leading up to the Autumn Statement, City A.M. understands. The Home Building Fund, aimed at small and medium-sized developers, was announced as part of the Queen’s Speech in May, but has since languished at [...]