Second chances: Ex-offenders could help solve recruitment crisis February 28, 2022 “I always wanted to be a drug dealer. Getting a job would have been strange to me,” Liam Meredith, an ex-offender who now runs his own catering business, says. Many young men like Meredith struggle to break a cycle of offending even after they leave prison, due to tumultuous home lives. For men like Meredith, [...]
Grocery sales: Ocado on top as supermarkets snag 58m more visits as UK exited lockdown May 25, 2021 As the UK’s vaccination programme pushes on, supermarkets have enjoyed 58m more shopping visits in the first quarter of this year than last year, according to industry data released today. Supermarkets actually had more visits in the 12 weeks to 16 May, than when panic buying gripped shoppers at the start of the pandemic, market [...]
Tesco Bank quits ‘challenging’ mortgage market May 21, 2019 Tesco Bank has thrown in the towel on mortgages, ceasing all new lending as it attempts to sell of its existing ledger book. Read more: How London house prices in every borough have performed in 2019 Currently the bank has 23,000 mortgage customers who it has lent £3.7bn, a portfolio it is now exploring the [...]
The only way is gin: The Essex firms making world-beating booze July 13, 2021 Essex is establishing a name for itself. Not for Kevin and Sharons but wines and gin. Its legion of winegrowers and distillers have now been joined by Nikki Mendes from Leigh-on-Sea who has founded The Only Way Is Gin. “I set out to create a gin that shouts out proudly about where it’s from: Chelmsford!” [...]
London ‘knowledge hacking’ app Uptime raises $3m from Youtube founder May 22, 2021 London-based education app Uptime has raised a further $3m (£2.1m) in a star-studded investment round from backers including Youtube co-founder Chad Hurley. Uptime, which describes itself as a “knowledge hacking app”, raised the funds as an extension to its seed round, bringing its total raised so far to $19m. Hurley, who is also an investor [...]
Oprah-backed startup Oatly raises $1.4bn in stock market debut May 20, 2021 Swedish vegan milk startup Oatly, which is backed by US talk show star Oprah Winfrey, has raised $1.4bn (£987m) in its initial public offering in New York. The company, which is also backed by Natalie Portman, Jay Z and former Starbucks boss Howard Shultz, today said it priced 84.4m shares at $17 each — the [...]
Kicking up a fizz: Aldi champagne advert banned after Tesco complaint July 17, 2019 The advertising watchdog has banned an advert promoting Aldi’s own-brand champagne after Tesco complained it was misleading. Read more: TfL revises junk food ad ban after rules spark confusion In the advert, the German discount supermarket claimed customers could save 45 per cent on a selection of products when compared to rival Tesco. The products [...]
Are supermarkets right to return their business rates relief to the Treasury? December 7, 2020 Are the big supermarkets right to return their business rates relief to the Treasury? Josh Williams, speechwriter and managing director at The Draft, says YES. Doing well in a crisis is a risky business. There is a thin line between those who turn a profit and those who profiteer. The supermarkets have had a good [...]
Tesco Bank sells 23,000-customer mortgage arm to Lloyds Banking Group for £3.8bn September 3, 2019 Tesco Bank has sold its mortgage business to Lloyds Banking Group for £3.8bn, in a move which will see its 23,000 customers switched to a new provider. The retail giant ceased all lending on its mortgages in May, as it announced it was trying to hive off its ledger book. Tesco, which said the portfolio [...]
Analysis: What the fuel crisis is all about and what may happen next September 30, 2021 Despite the government urging people to stop “panic-buying” petrol and return to their normal pattern of purchasing, pumps have run dry in some forecourts. Here City A.M. helps you to understand what is happening and who is involved. So who are the biggest players? The UK’s biggest operator is the Motor Fuel Group. Other companies [...]