Nissan boss tells Renault to heed its warnings over Ghosn misconduct charges December 17, 2018 Nissan’s chief executive today called on Renault board members to listen to its reasons for sacking former chairman Carlos Ghosn. Renault said last week it would keep Carlos Ghosn, who is in detention in Tokyo on charges of financial misconduct, as its chairman and chief executive. But Nissan boss Hiroto Saikawa said the Renault board [...]
Halo Top ice cream defrosted from the startup doldrums to become a retail success December 17, 2018 Junk food is, rightly, under assault. This year, we’ve seen the introduction of a sugar tax on soft drinks, and last month London mayor Sadiq Khan announced a ban on junk food advertising on the capital’s public transportation network. This comes after tougher TV advertising rules introduced last year, which meant that ads for food [...]
What this year’s Christmas adverts can teach us about making a great ad campaign December 17, 2018 With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, the big question is: have you bought all your presents yet? (I haven’t.) If you have, did any of this year’s festive ads sway your opinion? Did Elton John tickling the ivories mean that retailer John Lewis tickled your fancy, or did you feel like doing [...]
Banning harmful gender stereotypes from adverts should be applauded December 17, 2018 The UK’s advertising watchdog has called time on harmful gender stereotyping. From June 2019, all ads featuring outdated gender stereotypes that are deemed to cause harm or widespread offence are to be banned. This is fantastic news. The negative use of gender stereotyping for the promotion of products and services was especially prominent in my youth [...]
Productivity lessons from the procrastinator Prime Minister December 17, 2018 Can we assume, given that you’re reading this section of the paper, that you are currently delaying doing something you really ought to be focusing on? I don’t mean to lecture you. I myself currently have an Oliver Spencer tab or two open on my browser. I spent most of last Wednesday Googling the viability [...]
Activist investor launches searing attack on Just Eat over poor returns December 17, 2018 One of Just Eat's shareholders has slammed the company’s management, saying the firm has become the “worst-performing public equity in online food delivery”. Cat Rock Capital, which holds a two per cent stake in Just Eat, urged the board to offload non-core assets, provide a three-year financial plan and change pay incentives for executives in a [...]
A-SOS call: Four factors to blame for star online retailer’s shock profit warning December 17, 2018 Online fashion darling Asos' shares fell to their lowest since February 2016 this morning after a shock profit warning. Chief executive Nick Beighton said he's "astonished by an unprecedented level of discounting, something I've not seen before". At the time of writing, Asos was down more than 41 per cent to 2,439p. Here are four factors that led to Asos' [...]
Malaysia files criminal charges against Goldman Sachs and other bankers in 1MDB probe December 17, 2018 Malaysian authorities have filed criminal charges against investment bank Goldman Sachs in connection with a money laundering and corruption inquiry at the country's state investment fund 1MDB. Filed under Malaysia's securities laws, former Goldman bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, former 1MDB employee Jasmine Loo and the fugitive financier known as Jho Low were also included [...]
Asos shares nosedive after it warns on bleak pre-Christmas trading December 17, 2018 Shares in Asos fell more than 35 per cent this morning after it warned of a “significant deterioration” in its pre-Christmas trading. The online retailer reported sales growth of 14 per cent in the three months to the end of November. But the company said it had seen the “weakest growth in online clothing sales [...]
SSE abandons takeover of rival energy provider Npower as government price cap takes its toll December 17, 2018 A planned merger between SSE and Innogy's Npower will no longer be going ahead, after the two gas and electricity firms were unable to reach an agreement on "revised commercial terms". SSE announced this morning that its board has decided the merger is "not in the best interests of customers, employees or stakeholders" following further discussions with [...]