A furniture retailer who rejects the high street November 11, 2012 I MEET Ning Li at Made.com’s new showroom in Notting Hill. I’m assured it’s not the online company’s first step towards being just another high street furniture retailer, but a new way to “engage with customers”. Indeed, Li believes Made.com’s success hinges on its deliberate avoidance of the high street for exclusively online retailing. Growing [...]
Online shopping for an enterprising capitalist November 25, 2012 NOT many early-stage companies justify an equity research note. And few get described as “one of the most exciting growth stories in the market”. But the recently-listed Blur Group – led by Philip Letts – is deservedly attracting the right kind of attention. Only three technology firms have joined London’s Aim market this year. Blur’s [...]
The best Christmas gift can’t be found on the high street December 19, 2012 CHRISTMAS is a time of consumption and, this year, despite some conflicting statistics, central London seems heaving. The New West End company estimated that the first weekend of December saw 16 per cent more shoppers than in 2011, many from abroad. Retail sales in December are typically twice those of other months and, for many [...]
Private houses stem landslide in troubled construction sector October 31, 2012 PRIVATE house building gave a vital boost to the construction sector in October, a survey showed today, balancing out flagging demand from other sources. Construction activity declined one per cent over the month, according to Glenigan’s index, but it would have declined much more, it says, if not for the 58 per cent boost to [...]
East India Company: The original City firm judged too big for failure December 16, 2012 FOR an institution that’s been defunct for over 150 years, the East India Company still evokes powerful reactions. This year in India, a move to liberalise the retail sector to allow investment by foreign multinationals was greeted with protests: “this is the return of the East India Company”. Meanwhile in the UK, Sanjiv Mehta has [...]
The man with a will to make online music pay January 20, 2013 RIO Caraeff has chosen quite a week to visit the UK. As his New York-based music video company, Vevo, is embroiled in negotiations with Google over a potential investment that is rumoured to value it at $500m (£315m), Britain’s most prominent high street music retailer, HMV, is entering administration. Vevo, founded by record labels Universal [...]
Jobs of the Week October 10, 2012 FX TRADING SUPPORT ADMINISTRATOR, CALIFORNIA $200k pa An FX trading support administrator is needed to work with global clients in the retail and institutional FX trading and brokerage markets. You will be keen to progress into management. http://jobs.cityam.com/job/31465 SENIOR OPERATIONAL TAX MANAGER, LONDON £80k-£100k pa A leading bank seeks a tax manager to lead advisory projects. The [...]
Hornby runs out of steam after Olympics models fail to travel September 25, 2012 SHARES in Hornby plunged 34 per cent yesterday after poor sales of its London 2012 branded goods prompted the iconic toy maker to issue a surprise profit warning. The company had hoped its Olympic-branded model trains, taxis, buses and Scalextric sets would drive an increase in profits. But lower than expected sales meant major retailers [...]
Row your boat gently down the Atlantic say three City boys November 25, 2012 THREE City boys and former army officers – Ed Janvrin, consultant at PwC, Alex Mackenzie, consultant at McKinney Rogers and Will Dixon, business manager at Barclays – stripped off their suits to row across the Atlantic in aid of charity Row2Recovery earlier this year. The mission, conceived by Janvrin and Mackenzie, was undertaken by a [...]
Advisers Goldman Sachs October 23, 2012 ANTHONY GUTMAN | GOLDMAN SACHS Experian, which yesterday snapped up Serasa on the back of a put and call option agreed between the firm and minority bank stakeholders in 2007, was advised on the complex deal by investment banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The deal makers worked out of both banks’ offices in London. [...]