Film and TV trade body says plunging pound doesn’t guarantee booming sector October 4, 2022 Although the plunging value of the pound could mean big bucks for the UK film and TV sector, the trade association Pact warned that the industry must do more to keep up with this demand. It comes after Adrian Wootton, the chief executive of the British Film Commission (BFC), told the Guardian that demand for [...]
Rishi Sunak urged to ‘turn wise words into action’ by FSB chair after small retailers feel ‘abandoned’ March 11, 2022 The chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged chancellor Rishi Sunak to “turn wise words into action”, after the vast majority of micro firms said they felt “abandoned” by his policies. As the cost of living crisis continues to bite for retailers and consumers alike, 2,000 independent retailers were surveyed through Not [...]
Supermarkets made hay from restrictions, now they need to consolidate to keep going March 11, 2022 THE rapid grocery delivery sector has grown at a staggering pace across Europe and the US. Two years on from when we first saw Getir, Weezy, Zapp and Gorillas advertised on buses and hoardings across London, data from the ONS revealed the average weekly sales of online groceries in December 2021 were £372m – more [...]
Shoppers set to fork out more than last year on Black Friday buys November 23, 2022 Shoppers are set to splash more cash on Black Friday purchases this year, despite cost of living pressures. Consumers will fork out seven per cent more for the shopping occasion, which falls amid a rare winter World Cup tournament, estimates from Nationwide have revealed. The building society forecast that its members would spend more than [...]
Fashion brands log legal claims over Visa and Mastercard fees December 12, 2021 Fashion firms are taking legal action over Mastercard and Visa card payment fees More than a dozen brands have filed legal claims over historic charging fees, alleging a breach of competition laws, it was reported by The Telegraph. It comes as Amazon confirmed UK customers will not be able to use Visa credit cards when [...]
Amazon’s Deliveroo investment raises competition concerns, watchdog finds December 11, 2019 Amazon’s proposed investment in food delivery platform Deliveroo has been thrown off course after the competition watchdog said the deal raises serious concerns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) today said the investment may require an in-depth investigation. Amazon led a $575m funding round in Deliveroo in May, however the CMA has put the brakes [...]
Patients expect more home deliveries for healthcare post-pandemic July 20, 2022 Patients in the UK now expect more home deliveries for prescriptions and tests, after the pandemic prompted a spike in demand for healthcare logistics companies. Same-day delivery business CitySprint, which makes deliveries for the NHS, found nearly half of healthcare decision makers said that expectations for service delivery have increased as a result of [...]
World Cup spells win for struggling advertising market October 27, 2022 The ad sector is set to score a much-needed goal this winter with the Qatar World Cup driving up advertising spend. According to new data from the Advertising Association (AA), ad spend for the final quarter is set to climb by 4.5 per cent from last year’s record high, to a total of £9.5bn. This [...]
‘Lean in’ to artificial intelligence, education secretary urges firms June 29, 2023 Businesses need to “lean in” to the power of artificial intelligence (AI), education secretary Gillian Keegan has said. The education secretary told City A.M. indulging in fears about AI wiping out jobs and opportunities was unproductive. Asked whether she was concerned about the impact of the new technology such as ChatGPT and Bard altering or [...]
Comparethemarket owner backs London ‘insurtech’ Superscript in £45m funding round January 9, 2023 London-based insurance fintech Superscript announced it had bagged a £45m funding round led by the owner of Comparethemarket.com today, in a boost to the UK’s burgeoning ‘insurtech’ sector after a flurry of investment in the past two years.