FTSE 100 trading marginally up on Whitbread and InterContinental Hotels Group results October 20, 2015 The FTSE 100 is swinging between minor gains and falls this morning as Whitbread and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) lead the pack, gaining 2.22 per cent and 3.72 per cent respectively at 9:00. Investors liked Whitbread's first half results, in which the company reported a pre-tax profit of £291.3m, up 13 per cent on the same period last year. [...]
Public finance numbers could be back on track – London Report October 18, 2015 THE LATEST public finance figures, due out on Wednesday, are expected to have seen renewed year-on-year improvement in September after a particularly disappointing August. An improved September performance would help get the public finances back on track to reach George Osborne’s targets after taking a hit the previous month. Economists expect public sector net borrowing [...]
Koovs share price drops as Lord Waheed Alli steps back as executive chairman July 21, 2015 Koovs' share price fell this morning as Lord Waheed Alli revealed he was bringing in a chief executive and stepping back from his role as executive chairman. The India-focused etailer has appointed internet of things expert Mary Turner to head up the business ahead of a new round of fundraising. Alli will become chairman. [...]
Retail website StreetHub reveals $2.6m funding round led by Octopus Ventures October 19, 2015 StreetHub, a network of independent retailers, has announced a $2.6m (£1.7m) funding round, led by Octopus Ventures. The group also received investments from Index Ventures, which has stakes in online retailers Asos, Farfetch and Net-a-Porter, among others, as well as a number of other angel investors. The new funding round coincides with the launch of [...]
Three of the best business books to read this Christmas: Nothing says “glad tidings” like a book on nudge theory December 2, 2015 Whether you need help deciding how many mince pies it is optimal to eat this Christmas, or how John Lewis has survived revolutions in the retail sector, City A.M. has been compiling a list of some of the best business books to enjoy over the festive period. Here are three. THINKING IRRATIONALLY Historically, the [...]
The Beatles’ John Lennon’s school detention slip up for sale September 24, 2015 There’s a divide amongst the City’s better known CEOs. First there’s the Cambridge mafia; those with old school ties, spotless school records and fine art collections. Then, of course, there’s the boys-done-good, who left school at 16 and worked their way up from the bottom. While you’re more likely to find the City’s university alumni [...]
Asos sales slow as strong pound dampens international growth December 9, 2014 Online fashion retailer Asos suffered a slowdown in sales in the first quarter of the year, after the strong pound dented its international business. The company said its total retail sales rose eight per cent to £246m in the three months to 30 November, down from a 15 per cent rise the previous quarter. [...]
City says Asos a takover target October 6, 2014 ASOS shares soared nearly 15 per cent yesterday after analysts at UBS said the troubled online retailer was “ripe” for a takeover, with rival Amazon the most likely suitor. The company, which has issued three profit warnings in the past seven months, has been subject to previous takeover speculation, with eBay and Amazon cited as [...]
Judge P2P firms on whether they’re profitable – not just on how much money they’ve lent October 19, 2015 Three years ago this week, the veteran venture capitalist Robin Klein made the case in these pages for greater support for UK high growth technology companies in their push into mainstream London capital markets. Over time, confidence grew and several good firms were helped onto the public markets through the London Stock Exchange’s High Growth [...]
Christmas 2014: Amazon delivering until December 24, while Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser and Asos face capacity problems December 16, 2014 Worried you've left it too late to order Christmas presents online? You need to get your skates on if you want to avoid paying for special delivery, but some retailers are offering premium services up to the last minute. A new survey of retailers has found a number of businesses that promise to deliver [...]