Corporate Britain needs to wage war on jargon and speak like the people they are trying to serve June 3, 2021 Gilbert and Sullivan are not primarily known as great gurus of business. But their 1893 operetta Utopia, Limited is an unlikely but rather acute insight into the idea of the modern corporation. Improbably based on the Joint Stock Companies Act 1862, William Gilbert’s script and lyrics tell the story of corporate purpose, in words that [...]
Caffè Nero slurps up 82 per cent post-restrictions sales spike May 31, 2021 Caffè Nero has enjoyed a sales spike in recent weeks, as restrictions were gradually eased, while it has also repaid all of its Covid financial support. Weekly sales surged 82 per cent as outdoor seating was allowed and then restricted indoor eating was permitted in the last 13 weeks. After paying back a £12.2m Liquidity [...]
Rolls-Royce newest convertible is picnic ready May 27, 2021 Rolls-Royce have released details of a new convertible which contains cocktail tables, fridges for champagne and a matching parasol – all custom made for a single, ultra-wealthy, individual. Named the ‘Boat Tail’, the rear of the car is shaped like a racing yacht. It was hand-built and took four years to make. Rolls-Royce have not [...]
Car production bounces back on 12-month anniversary of factory shutdowns May 27, 2021 UK car production returned to near normality in April compared to the same month a year before as automakers continued to struggle with the shortage of semiconductor chips. Britain made 68,306 cars last month, up from 197 a year ago when factories were shuttered due to the initial Covid-19 lockdown. Compared to April 2019, the [...]
Airline SAS gets £255m loan guarantee from Denmark and Sweden May 26, 2021 Sweden and Denmark said today that they had agreed to offer ailing airline SAS, in which both countries own stakes, a 3bn Swedish crown (£255m) loan guarantee. The Covid-19 pandemic has seen air travel collapse, plunging the industry into crisis and leaving carriers scrambling to secure funds to weather the slump. SAS said the credit [...]
Ford aims for 40 per cent electric car sales by 2030 May 26, 2021 Ford today said that it was aiming for 40 per cent of its sales to be of electric cars by 2030, sending shares up 7.0 per cent today. The announcement came as the Michigan-headquartered firm unveiled a new strategy, call Ford+, that will see it put $30bn into electrification over the next decade. That is [...]
In defence of the long lunch: Business needs the human touch May 24, 2021 No-one quite knows when the long lunch suffered a mortal blow. Perhaps it was the financial crisis of 2007-08, when money lost its lustre. Perhaps it was before that, in the 1980s, when US working cultures flooded the City of London after the Big Bang. The grim phrase “al desko” was first recorded in the [...]
Trainline shares tumble a third as government announces new ticket platform May 20, 2021 Shares in train ticketing app Trainline fell nearly a third this morning after the government unveiled plans for a new ticketing platform as part of sweeping rail reforms. By the early afternoon shares in the FTSE 250 firm had recovered slightly, but were still down 21.6 per cent at 335.25p. The move from the government [...]
Modernising Burnley: How ALK Capital plan to use artificial intelligence and a network of partner clubs to take the Clarets into a new era May 20, 2021 Think of Burnley FC and you think of target men, tigerish midfielders and hulking centre-backs. Of manager Sean Dyche’s gravelly tones. Of one of the Premier League’s less fashionable and most traditional clubs consistently outperforming more glamorous rivals with a defiantly no-nonsense brand of football. But for all that they have punched above their weight, [...]
Biden charges up $174bn electric vehicle plan in Michigan speech May 18, 2021 US President Joe Biden today called for government grants for new battery production facilities as he made the case for his $174bn (£123bn) electric vehicle plan today. During a speech at a Ford electric vehicle plant in Michigan, Biden vowed to “set a new pace” for the technology and reverse what he described as the [...]