Revolutionary is overrated – unsexy is the new black February 1, 2019 There was a time when pushy parents steered their children towards professions like medicine, banking, or law, while their offspring dreamed of being musicians, pilots, and firefighters. Now, it seems that having the next big idea or making money through your personal brand on social media is the common career goal. The entrepreneur is the [...]
There’s a lesson from Dyson’s Singapore move, but it has nothing to do with Brexit January 25, 2019 There’s no question that Dyson’s move from Wiltshire to Singapore will be a loss to Britain. The company boasts profits in excess of £1bn, employs 4,000 in its Malmesbury offices alone, and is one of the UK’s major business success stories. But that doesn’t justify the political backlash we’ve seen. In true polarising fashion, owner Sir [...]
Coffee to go: Starbucks set to trial London deliveries after US roll-out January 22, 2019 Starbucks will begin trialling a coffee-to-your-door service in London at the end of the month as it looks to tap into the $95bn (£73.7bn) global market for online food delivery. The company has teamed up with food delivery app Uber Eats in a bid to corner the market in the capital by offering delivery from a [...]
Travel food operator SSP sees sales rise despite yellow vest protests January 17, 2019 Travel food operator SSP posted a rise in sales for the first quarter, despite seeing its European sales pulled down by protests in France. SSP, which runs food concessions in airports and railway stations, said total revenues rose 7.7 per cent in the three months to the end of December, with like-for-like sales up 2.5 [...]
Chief executives can no longer stay out of the political fray December 10, 2018 Activism is everywhere. From our neighbourhoods to boardrooms, national crusades to local causes, there is no shortage of people clamouring to bring pressing, worthy issues to our attention. And business is no exception, hence the rise of a new type of chief executive: the “activist”. This creature takes many forms: publicly outspoken, actively involved in [...]
Orchard Street snaps up £55m building in Soho’s filmland December 3, 2018 Property investment firm Orchard Street has snapped up a £55m Soho building home to a British film production company. The office space in the property at 141 Wardour Street is fully let to Moving Picture Company, while retail space on the ground and basement floors is home to Princi, an Italian restaurant and bakery part-owned [...]
Caffeine boost: Starbucks shares buzz as turnaround plan beats sales estimates November 1, 2018 Coffee behemoth Starbucks’ share price has risen more than eight per cent in after-hours trading, after the company performed better than expected in its fourth quarter. Strong growth in the US and China helped to boost sales, taking global net revenue to $6.3bn (£4.8bn). The company has battled with increased competition in recent months, laying off [...]
Whitbread shareholders vote Coca-Cola’s £4bn Costa merger through October 11, 2018 Whitbread shareholders have agreed to the sale of Costa to Coca-Cola for a whopping £4bn, with the company’s share price inching higher following the announcement. At a crunch meeting yesterday, investors voted almost unanimously in favour of the deal that will see Britain’s largest coffee chain change hands. Read more: Costa sold to Coca-Cola: Here's [...]
Starbucks’ European arm paid just 2.8 per cent tax in the UK September 19, 2018 Starbucks' European business paid 2.8 per cent tax in the UK on profits of $213m (£162m) in the year ending October 2017. The coffee chain's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) division, based in London, paid $5.9m in UK corporation tax, its accounts reveal. Its profits were boosted by a dividend payment of $150m, which [...]
Black Monday 2015: Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz tells baristas to be sensitive to customers worried about the stock market August 25, 2015 Could a cup of joe cure your stock market woes? Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz seems to think so. In a message to the coffee chain’s 190,000 employees yesterday, Schultz asked baristas to be sensitive to customers who might be worried about their portfolios. “Today’s financial market volatility, combined with great political uncertainty both at home and abroad, [...]