The Death of the Beard: Has the trend for facial hair finally reached its peak? May 2, 2018 The age of the neo-dandy has drawn to a close. Tweed is out. The moustache has twirled its last. The beard is dead, and we are but mourners at its wake. At least, that is what the streets of London would seem to suggest. So many naked chins thrust into the wind like the jutting [...]
As smartphones demand more of our time and attention, a new breed of “dumbphone” is exploding in popularity May 2, 2018 Every year in the woods outside of San Francisco, in what just might be the most San Franciscan thing ever, a group of people gather to reconnect with nature, themselves and one another. They leave behind everything electronic – cameras, phones and tablets are all safely locked away by the event’s organisers – with the [...]
Japan has just discovered alcopops – now the chu-hi trend is taking the country by storm May 2, 2018 Sold in cans from convenience stores up and down the country, chu-hi is a flavoured alcoholic drink taking Japan by storm. It’s made from a mix of shochu – which is an inexpensive, vodka-like spirit distilled from pretty much anything you’ve got in your cupboard – and one or more of hundreds of different fruit [...]
nHouse founders Nick Fulford and Richard Hywel Evans on the need for modular housing in the UK May 2, 2018 While we all know what disruptive tech looks like, what does disruptive housing look like? By almost universal consent, three problems need to be addressed in the current market – affordability, sustainability and quality – and whoever conquers all three will seriously shake up the UK market. Yet architect Richard Hywel Evans thinks he, along [...]
Deliveroo fends off union bid to represent workers in Camden in win for gig economy May 2, 2018 Deliveroo has fended off a challenge by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) to represent its workers in Camden after the High Court rejected its push against the gig economy. The IWGB applied for a judicial review on an earlier decision that ruled that Deliveroo drivers should be classified as self-employed. As a [...]
How Silicon Valley’s finest Tesla can learn from British tech titan Sage May 2, 2018 Execs at Britain’s biggest tech firm Sage were in bullish mood today despite conceding the last six months “had not gone to plan”. Around £1.5bn has been wiped from Sage’s market value since mid-January as investors took a dim view of a dip in its revenue growth. But let’s just underline one thing here: Sage’s [...]
After Apple defied the expectations, Shares in Snapchat creator Snap Inc fall to all-time low May 2, 2018 Shares in Snapchat’s parent company Snap Inc fell to an all-time low today, tumbling as much as 22 per cent after the social media firm missed first-quarter user targets yesterday. In its annual statement last night, the messaging app revealed it had only seen a 15 per cent increase in users from last year, while [...]
Shareholder revolt: More than a third of Unilever shareholders oppose director pay May 2, 2018 Unilever faced a significant shareholder revolt today at its London AGM, as a sizeable chunk of investors voted against its directors’ pay packets. Over a third (35.8 per cent) of votes cast opposed the remuneration policy, which sets a target annual bonus of up to £2.16m for chief executive Paul Polman. The company acknowledged the [...]
Banking bigwigs appointed to decide bank winners of £425m RBS competition fund May 2, 2018 Banking bigwigs Godfrey Cromwell and Brendan Peilow were today appointed to head the body which will decide which small business challenger banks receive chunks of a £425m cash pot put up for grabs by Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Banking Competition Remedies Ltd (BCR) will judge the applications from lenders such as Metro Bank, Virgin [...]
TSB boss Paul Pester to give up (one) bonus after IT meltdown May 2, 2018 TSB chief executive Paul Pester will give up a bonus tied to the computer systems migration which has gone disastrously wrong, leaving thousands of customers without access to their accounts for days. Speaking at the Treasury Select Committee, TSB chair Richard Meddings today said: “He will not be taking his bonus for the integration”. In [...]