South African retailer Foschini eyes fashion chain Whistles March 6, 2016 Another South African company could soon step up its presence in the UK retail industry, this time with upmarket high street brand Whistles as the target. Foschini, a Cape Town-based retail conglomerate which bought Phase Eight last year, is said to be eyeing a bid for Whistles after its owners hired advisers at KPMG to sound out [...]
BHS administration filing could happen as early as Monday, just weeks after the struggling retailer secured a Company Voluntary Arrangement April 24, 2016 Struggling retailer BHS could be due to file for administration as early as Monday, the BBC has reported today. Such a move could potentially lead to the closure of its 164 department stores and put 11,000 jobs at risk. BHS used to be owned by retail tycoon Sir Philip Green and formed part of his [...]
Timeline: A blow-by-blow account of how BHS’ demise unfolded June 2, 2016 One of the biggest names on the UK's high street could be about to disappear, after its administrators began the process of winding it down. The news comes after a tumultuous few months for the retailer, which announced in April that it was entering administration – just over a year after it was sold for £1 by Arcadia [...]
London startup Qubit lands $40m series C round from Goldman Sachs, Sapphire Ventures, Accel and Saleforce Ventures February 22, 2016 Goldman Sachs is among the investors to plough $40m (£28.4m) into London startup Qubit in the latest of several deals injecting venture capital cash into the UK. The data analytics startup founded in the capital in 2010 landed the cash from Goldman's merchant banking division along with Sapphire Ventures and previous investors Accel and Salesforce Ventures. It brings its [...]
Mayfair, flamingos and Berlin: London’s retailers and marketers have held the Square Mile’s (and Germany’s) best Christmas parties so far December 10, 2015 Last week, The Capitalist delivered the sad news that around a quarter of businesses weren’t even planning a Christmas party, and issued an appeal for the City’s most raucous office do. Well, boy did you guys deliver. Wednesday was a big one for London’s financial marketers and PRs. Johnny Hornby, founder of WPP-backed communications group [...]
Swatch’s Bellamy watch with Visa lets you pay with just a swipe of your wrist (but it’s not a smartwatch) November 30, 2015 First there was Oyster, and not far behind were contactless cards. Then came Apple Pay in the pay technology revolution, liberating commuters from pesky cash and flimsy tickets. It may have put paying with something other than a ticket into the popular consciousness, but there are other (admittedly less high-profile) options for non-Apple fans seeking to streamline [...]
Steve Rowe: Everything you need to know about the man replacing Marc Bolland at Marks & Spencer January 7, 2016 Marc Bolland is out. After months (if not years) of shareholders and analysts calling for him to leave Marks & Spencer, the former Morrisons man is hanging up his hat on 2 April. Bolland is handing over to Steve Rowe, an M&S lifer. But Rowe is relatively unknown to the wider world. Here's what you [...]
The top 20 companies Brits want to work for – Google, Apple, John Lewis, and Asos top LinkedIn’s most in demand employers list October 22, 2015 People are scrambling to work at tech behemoth Google more than any other company in the UK, while high-street favourite John Lewis is the British company people most want to work for, according to figures published today. Google, famous for fun offices and free food among many perks, has topped LinkedIn's annual ranking of the most in demand employers [...]
Silverfleet Capital sell Office for £256m to South African retailer Truworths, more than tripling its money November 30, 2015 Office, the shoe shop, has been sold by its private equity owner Silverfleet to Truworths International, a South African fashion retailer for £256m. Silverfleet achieved an impressive 3.4x return on its investment five years ago, in December 2010, when it bought the shoe brand from Sir Tom Hunter, the Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist, who's behind private equity vehicle West [...]
Rihanna vs Topshop: Three things businesses need to know about using celebrity images and endorsements January 23, 2015 Rihanna's “We Found Love” was one of the biggest hit songs of the autumn of 2011. Some readers may remember the furore surrounding the video shoot when the farmer, whose land the video was shot on, took a dislike to Rihanna’s dancing style and dress sense. Yesterday, we saw the next instalment in another dispute [...]