Oil and commodities prices: Mining firms drag the FTSE down as commodity prices drop November 15, 2017 Commodity prices tumbled this morning, dragging miners and oil firms down and causing Britain’s blue-chip index to dip. Metals including copper, nickel, zinc and aluminium came under pressure as concerns mounted over weaker economic data in China. Chinese industrial production fell to 6.2 per cent in October, missing estimates of 6.3 per cent growth and [...]
New Bond Street overtakes Champs Élysées to become Europe’s most expensive shopping street November 15, 2017 London’s New Bond Street has overtaken the Champs Élysées to become the most expensive place in Europe for retailers to have a store. With a price of $1,720 (£1,305) per square foot per year, New Bond Street is the third most expensive shopping hotspot in the world, after Upper 5th Avenue in New York and [...]
Old Mutual Wealth changes name to Quilter with IPO on track for 2018 November 15, 2017 Old Mutual today revealed the new name of the wealth management arm it is planning to spin off next year. The FTSE 100 firm picked Quilter, a brand with roots dating back to the 18th Century, as a replacement for Old Mutual Wealth. Plans to spin off the wealth management arm have been in train [...]
Minimum alcohol pricing: Scottish government plans 50p per unit alcohol price after Supreme Court backs minimum pricing proposal November 15, 2017 The Scottish government has said it will set minimum alcohol prices “as quickly as possible” after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled in its favour. The measure, passed by the Scottish parliament in 2012, was appealed by the Scotch Whisky Association and others. But this morning’s ruling decided that the policy, in which a price will [...]
Battle of the sarnies: From Tesco to Benugo, which Christmas sandwich will come top of our list this year, and which one was literally inedible? November 15, 2017 We set off into the City to gather festive sandwiches from supermarkets and fast food chains far and wide to see which of them is worthy of Santa himself, and which were a nightmare before Christmas. Eat Turkey and cranberry sandwich ★★★☆☆ Tastes alright, but nothing to write to Santa about. Solid fillings, pleasantly sweet [...]
Belief in people has led architecture firm Darling Associates to success November 15, 2017 Napoleon once said “an army marches on its stomach”. Looking after your army was important for Napoleon, and it’s also a top priority for Chris Darling, founder of Darling Associates, although unlike Napoleon’s army, his team are showing no signs of being underfed; he’s conquered (built an office in) both London and Poland, working on [...]
Titans of history: Lessons from the entrepreneurs who built Britain November 15, 2017 The history of the modern world is bound up with that of Britain. There are many theories of how and why we spawned the Industrial Revolution and had such an impact on international affairs, but none is complete without accounting for the British people, and the entrepreneurs who built Britain and changed the world. In [...]
Leaving so soon? UK founders lack big tech exit ambitions | City A.M. November 15, 2017 The UK’s tech entrepreneurs are lacking ambition when it comes to building so-called unicorn tech startups, or the next Google or Facebook. The majority of founders are aiming to sell quickly and for a relatively low price, new research suggests. VentureFounders and Beauhurst surveyed 100 founders of fast scaling startups of various sizes and ages [...]
Let’s make London the green finance capital of the world November 15, 2017 The prospect of Brexit threatens to cause serious damage to the UK’s financial services industry. Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin and even Luxembourg are circling like hungry jackals waiting to pick off the weakest members of the herd. London will need to develop a distinctive and competitive offer to investors. I believe we can find it, in [...]
Diversity must be a priority in business, not an afterthought November 15, 2017 London is by many measures the most diverse and vibrant city in the world. The city’s winning formula has seen us land an Olympic bid, and attract businesses and talent from across the globe. But while London creates wealth, many Londoners see little of it. Read more: Why the regulators care about diversity The divide [...]