The turf wars for on-demand delivery won’t be won with a fast and dirty business model May 8, 2021 Getir, Dijia, Weezy, Zapp and Fancy. There is a handful of the new on-demand grocery delivery apps that have flooded London’s streets over the last few months. Behind each of them is a fierce turf war for customers, as they try and capitalise on the now ubiquitous presence of food delivery. The surge of grocery [...]
WPP resumes £620m share buyback as it eyes return to growth March 11, 2021 WPP today said it would resume its £620m share buyback programme and restore its dividend as the advertising giant eyes a return to growth this year. The London-listed ad group halted the buyback, funded by its $4bn sale of Kantar in 2019, and the payout due to the pandemic. But it today said up to [...]
Lyft shares hit new lows on reports of record $100bn Uber float April 10, 2019 Shares in ride-hailing app Lyft fell to record lows today following reports the float of arch-rival Uber could be one of the largest in history. Lyft’s shares plunged as much as seven per cent to $62.91, well below its opening price of $72. Read more: Uber IPO 'seeks to sell $10bn of shares' The fall [...]
Firms helping vulnerable during pandemic recognised in Dragon Awards April 30, 2021 An app which mobilised volunteers to shop for vulnerable people during the pandemic is among the winners in London’s top responsible business gongs. Described as an ‘Uber for volunteers’, onHand, which matches volunteers with projects in need of help, won the Lord Mayor’s Award for Innovation During COVID-19 in the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards. The [...]
New BBC drama turns spotlight on City work pressure November 3, 2020 The BBC is turning its attention to the City with a new drama that documents the lives of university graduates battling the pressures of a cut-throat career in finance. The series, called Industry, is set at the fictional investment bank Pierpoint, where five fresh-faced grads are subjected to gruelling hours and brutal bosses as they [...]
Softbank Vision Fund dealt another blow with boardroom exodus November 2, 2020 After a year of hefty losses, Softbank is now dealing with an exodus of executives at its $100bn Vision Fund. The Japanese conglomerate plunged to its worst ever annual performance in March after recording a huge $18bn loss for the Vision Fund. It bounced back in August after strong performances by its tech investments. Softbank [...]
Softbank warns of historic $16.7bn loss after coronavirus and bad bets April 14, 2020 Softbank expects to lose $16.7bn (£13.3bn) on tech startups it has invested in through its Vision Fund this year due to coronavirus. The Japanese company blamed the coronavirus pandemic for a “deteriorating market environment” as it booked its first loss in over 20 years. Softbank has also made some bad bets outside its $100bn Vision [...]
Lyft IPO sets wheels in motion for Uber, Pinterest and Slack floats in coming months March 31, 2019 The runaway success of ride hailing app Lyft’s initial public offering (IPO) last Friday has paved the way for a long queue of tech firms all hoping to emulate its market debut in the coming months. On Lyft’s first day of trading its value soared 8.7 per cent, from an initial valuation of $72 (£55.20) [...]
Screenshot: Will the digital advertising boom ever end? July 30, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet **Will the digital advertising boom ever end? **Esports: Britain’s next big thing? Media Moment of the Week: You are what you tweet You know the scenario: someone says something you don’t like on Twitter and you have an overwhelming urge to rise to [...]
Piece of Cake: Lockdown treats boost revenue 30 per cent at Cake Box November 23, 2020 Specialist dessert retailer Cake Box saw shares spike almost four per cent this morning, as it announced group revenue jumped just under a third in the first half of 2020. The cream cake specialist said group revenue hiked 30 per cent to £8.6m in the 20 weeks to 30 September — up from £6.6m in [...]