Discount high street chain launched by Christo Wiese and ex-Asda boss Andy Bond plots more store openings April 28, 2016 Pep&Co, a discount variety chain launched last year by former Asda boss Andy Bond and Christo Wiese, the South African retail magnate, has announced plans to roll-out more stores this autumn after opening 50 sites in just over 50 days last summer. Wiese already snapped up discount chain New Look through his investment vehicle Brait in 2014. However, [...]
Personal Messenger: EchoMany’s Tim Redgate talks film trailers and false personalisation July 18, 2016 Four fifths of UK brands say they’re personalising their marketing to some extent, but that doesn’t mean much,” says Tim Redgate, founder of EchoMany, which sends personalised videos to targeted audiences on social media by embedding relevant user data. “If a brand writes a consumer’s name in an email, that counts. But it isn’t real personalisation.” There [...]
Hinkley Point crisis deepens as experts warn that there’s “zero possibility” of the project being finished by 2025 May 25, 2016 The government is facing fresh calls to reconsider its plan to build two nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset, with experts warning that there’s “zero possibility” of the controversial project being finished by 2025. The concerns come after Vincent de Rivaz, the French utility giant’s UK boss, failed to assure parliament's energy and climate [...]
How Edinburgh is driving the fintech revolution August 14, 2016 According to recent figures published by Innovate Finance, global investment in fintech has rocketed from $930m in 2008 to $12.5bn in 2015, with recognised tech clusters such as Edinburgh supporting London’s global dominance. Fintech is, to coin a phrase, white hot right now. It’s not only empowering new start-ups with the ability to launch disruptive [...]
London Mayor and Berkeley Homes to build 3,500 homes on Newham Parcelforce depot site March 15, 2016 Berkeley Homes is pushing ahead with a scheme to turn a disused Parcelforce depot in east London into 3,500 homes – including one of London’s largest private rental schemes – after agreeing the terms of the deal with London mayor Boris Johnson. Speaking at the annual MIPIM property conference in Cannes this afternoon, Berkeley Group chairman [...]
Gala Leisure and Gala Interactive brands become latest to join independent gambling regulator Senet Group April 12, 2016 The Gala Bingo brand has become the first bingo business to join the independent gambling industry watchdog, the Senet Group. Gala Leisure, the UK's largest operator of bingo clubs, and Gala Interactive, the company's online bingo operator, are the latest companies to join the regulator, following in the footsteps of other industry majors including Paddy Power Betfair and [...]
Cabinet Office privatisation of Whitehall functions cost £4m more than it saved May 20, 2016 The Cabinet Office's privatisation of a number of Whitehall functions has not delivered value for money, costing £4m per year more than it saved, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Most departments successfully outsource functions to one of two independent shared service centres, delivering overall savings of £90m to customers in the first two and [...]
This giant credit rating agency has just issued a warning about Sadiq Khan’s plans to freeze TfL fares May 9, 2016 Hmm. Looks like things aren't getting off to a great start for London's new mayor, Sadiq Khan, after one of the world's largest credit ratings agencies warned his central pledge may hurt Transport for London (TfL). That didn't take long… In a statement that was as brief as it was punchy, this morning Moody's warned [...]
Investec banks on banking for profit boost May 19, 2016 Investec today reported that its profits for the year had inched up, thanks in part to a strong performance in its banking and wealth and investment divisions. Operating profits before tax for the specialist financial services company's year to March edged up to £567.4m, up 0.9 per cent compared with £562.5m the year before. Operating profit in [...]
City Moves for 19 May 2016 | Who’s switching jobs May 19, 2016 Bryan Cave LLP International law firm Bryan Cave LLP has expanded its banking and finance practice in Germany with the addition of Sandra Pfister, who joins as a partner. Sandra is known internationally for her banking and finance work. Joining with Sandra is associate Reinhard Bunjes. Sandra’s expertise is in the area of banking and finance [...]