Amazon contemplates Tube ticket offices as collection points November 22, 2013 Transport for London is said to be in talks with online retail giant Amazon to convert Tube ticket offices into "drop off" points for parcels. An Amazon Locker is already being trialled at Hammersmith station. The self-service collection points are popping up at pick-up locations across the UK, and are expected to be piloted in other Tube stations [...]
Sydney, Australia: the global cultural capital of the future April 27, 2014 Forget the stereotype, Australians can do hipster as well WHAT’S the difference between Australia and a petri dish? If you leave a petri dish for long enough it will eventually develop a culture… Or so the joke used to go. But anyone who’s visited Sydney recently would struggle to justify that view. Australia’s economy has [...]
London Report: Survey figures forecast to show more UK growth February 2, 2014 MANUFACTURING data, due out today, is the first of the UK survey figures that will be the highlights of this week’s economic calendar. Construction figures will follow tomorrow and services data on Wednesday, with all sectors expected to show further growth. Industrial production data is due on Friday. Martin Beck of Capital Economics said: “On [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 5 March 2014 March 4, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Faith, hope and hedge funds for CoE The Church of England is ramping up the exposure of its £6bn endowment to alternative investments such as hedge funds and private equity in a move that will cement its position as one of the UK’s largest single investors in these types of assets. The Church [...]
Grafton selling more building supplies in Britain and Ireland January 9, 2014 BUILDERS’ merchant Grafton posted an eight per cent rise in annual revenues to £1.8bn yesterday, as demand for DIY and building equipment started to recover. Grafton, which moved its primary stock listing from Dublin to London in October, said its UK merchanting business posted a 3.2 per cent like-for-like rise in revenues, or a total [...]
Government is making high streets suffer and the situation may worsen December 18, 2013 WHATEVER the chances of a last-minute Christmas shopping spree, the retail climate remains difficult. To assist troubled high streets, the chancellor’s Autumn Statement appeared to make a valiant effort to address complaints about business rates, long resented as an excessive tax burden on retailers. For the first time ever, the uniform business rate rise will [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 16 January 2014 January 15, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Payday lenders to create database After repeatedly saying that it was impossible to create a database for payday loans the UK’s largest payday lenders are clubbing together to set one up. Wonga, Quick Quid, Mr Lender and ThinkFinance have all signed up to provide information to a real time credit-reporting system run by [...]
Card Factory recruits advisers November 10, 2013 The Card Factory, the high street retailer started by a husband and wife duo in 1997, has appointed UBS and Morgan Stanley to help float the company. The business, which is owned by buyout firm Charterhouse, could be floated in London next year with a price tag of up to £1bn. The company was started [...]
On the front line: Adopting unified communications June 4, 2014 Richard Smith, owner and managing director of Aspen Concepts, talks to Liam Ward-Proud about how unified communications have helped link the different parts of his business, and increased employee productivity Handling several lines of communication is a challenge for most SMEs. But it’s especially tricky for businesses operating across multiple sites. Aspen Concepts, a retail [...]
Win talk from South Pole team December 12, 2013 PRINCE Harry and his team are due to arrive at the South Pole this afternoon having braved the Antarctic extremes to raise money for Walking With The Wounded. But the push to support ex-servicemen and women doesn’t end there. The charity is calling for City workers to do their bit by signing up to Walking [...]