Coronavirus: What firms will survive the pandemic? April 20, 2020 The coronavirus outbreak has created clear winners in businesses such as Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Google and Apple, and losers such as Uber, Airbnb, and WeWork. The vast majority of industries are losers as they are effectively shut by the lockdown. Taxi usage has collapsed which means it may be a long time before Uber approaches [...]
Minicab and Uber drivers to lose exemption from congestion charge December 19, 2018 Minicab and Uber drivers will no longer be exempt from the £11.50 congestion charge from April next year, Sadiq Khan announced today as part of his push to curb pollution levels. TfL expects the changes to reduce the number of private hire vehicles entering the congestion zone each day by up to 8,000, a 44 per cent drop from current levels. [...]
Uber teams up with meditation startup Calm to bring some peace to UK passengers January 24, 2019 Uber has launched a partnership with meditation startup Calm to offer in-app mindfulness exercises to passengers, in a bid to make us all slow down a little more. From today, Uber riders across the UK will be able to access a range of guided meditation and breathing exercises during a trip in one of its cars. [...]
Softbank triples spending on share buybacks in June to £1.4bn June 15, 2020 Japanese investment giant Softbank has ramped up share buybacks this month, more than tripling its purchases month on month. Filings released today showed Softbank has spent ¥188.3bn (£1.4bn) on buying back shares between 1 June and 15 June, compared to ¥61bn for the entire month of May. The acceleration takes the total amount spent by [...]
Banks are under threat – and this time it’s personal November 13, 2019 The launch of Uber Money, which provides payment and banking services to the company’s drivers, is an example of the next big trend in banking — the rise of the so-called “non-bank”. The establishment of a financial product for non-banks goes beyond simple revenue growth. It is about establishing loyalty, and in the case of Uber, loyalty [...]
Uber to hire team for Jump electric bikes launch in the UK December 17, 2018 Ride-hailing giant Uber is exploring plans to launch operations of its electric bicycle arm in the UK, entering an already-crowded space from the likes of Chinese startups Ofo and Mobike. Uber bought electric bike startup Jump in April, and has since been trialling the use of its bikes in the US and Germany. It is now [...]
Peter Thiel’s Palantir confidentially files to go public July 7, 2020 Data analytics firm Palantir said it has confidentially filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to go public. Palantir is planning public listing of the Class A common stock, but has not disclosed the size of the listing. It is not known whether Palantir will pursue a traditional initial public offering or [...]
Commercial struggles offer open skies to private jet operators April 7, 2021 The global collapse of aviation over the past year has for the most part been one long unrelenting nosedive, with the occasional moment of levelling out as much-needed respite. As in most crises, however, there are both winners and losers, and though the big commercial airlines clearly fall into the latter category, an unlikely group [...]
What’s the story? Sairah Ashman on why brand matters more than ever October 7, 2021 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. Branding, for both your business and personal profile, has gained in importance over the past two years. Sairah Ashman, Global CEO of creative consultancy Wolff Olins, tells Lysanne Currie why the brand matters more than ever in a post-pandemic, values-led world When Sairah Ashman was little, her mum [...]
Which cafes and restaurants are reopening as the coronavirus lockdown lifts? June 10, 2020 After two months of coronavirus lockdown, Britain’s high streets are waking up again. From Pret to Pizza Express, cafes and restaurants across the country are working out how to restart their businesses. So what chains can customers expect to open up again on Monday, when so-called non-essential businesses are allowed to make their long-awaited return? [...]