Relief for bookies as Hammond blocks review into fixed odds betting terminals to save treasury funds | City A.M. August 5, 2017 Philip Hammond has blocked a review into fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) which could have resulted in millions draining out of the treasury’s pocket. FOBTs allow players to bet as much as £100 every two seconds, and account for much of the in-store income of bookmakers. But concerns over gambling addictions and hefty losses had [...]
Wandsworth council seizes more than 100 oBikes for “blocking pavements” August 5, 2017 Bike sharing company oBike faced yet more disagreements with London local authorities today, this time after Wandsworth council seized more than 100 of the fleet of bikes. In a blog post put on the Wandsworth council website last night, the council said it had removed 130 bikes since oBike launched in London in July. It [...]
Landing cards to be scrapped under Home Office plans to modernise border control August 5, 2017 Non-european travellers will no longer have to fill in landing cards when arriving in the UK under new proposals announced by the Home Office today. The paper-based system, which has been in use for nearly half a century, is expected to be scrapped in the autumn. Read more: Ryanair boss warns of “no holidays” in [...]
Forget shirt sales, it’s Neymar’s star brand that will help Paris Saint-Germain pay off world record £200m fee | City A.M. August 5, 2017 Few transfers in history have ever generated as much chatter, news articles or social media posts as Neymar’s world-record £200m move to Paris Saint-Germain. Such an unprecedentedly large fee and the headlines it captures raises questions of whether Paris Saint-Germain have bought Neymar for his brand as much as his ability. The Qatari-owned club has [...]
TfL launches London walking challenge to encourage more people to navigate the capital on foot August 5, 2017 Transport for London (TfL) is challenging Londoners to get off the tube or out of their Uber and tackle the capital on foot. To celebrate 10 years since the “Legible London” street signs, the blue information boards which show maps of the surrounding area, walkers are being asked to have a go at visiting as [...]
Brewdog is creating a new craft beer bar which will block Trump’s US Mexico border wall August 4, 2017 It’s the craft brewer which made its name through ridiculous publicity stunts. Now Brewdog seems to be seeking the ultimate prize: being criticised in a Donald Trump tweet. The rebellious company, which funded its growth with equity crowdfunding rounds it called “Equity for Punks” (and a little help from private equity), has said it will [...]
Trivago revenue and profits rise as brand awareness grows globally | City A.M. August 4, 2017 Hotel comparison website Trivago grew revenues by 67 per cent in the first half. The group said awareness of its brand had helped drive growth across the world after a push on TV advertising featuring the popular “Trivago girl”. The figures Total revenue for the period reached €565.9m (£512m) compared to €338.3m last year. Adjusted [...]
Venezuela’s collapse is exposing Labour’s existential crisis August 4, 2017 The plight of Venezuelans, who have been disenfranchised, starved and oppressed by their autocratic government, has finally caught international attention. President Nicolas Maduro has made a mockery of the country’s democracy, calling a sham election purely for the purpose of giving himself more power. Since that election on Sunday, two opposition leaders have been arrested [...]
London Stock Exchange chief executive Xavier Rolet backs FCA review of listing rules that could pave way for Saudi Aramco IPO August 3, 2017 London Stock Exchange boss Xavier Rolet today defended the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) review of listings rules that could pave the way for a Saudi Aramco mega-float. The Institute of Directors this week joined the Investment Association and Royal London Asset Management in speaking out against the proposals, which would ease rules for state-owned companies [...]
Netflix and Britain: We’re now a nation of 40m binge watchers, but BBC, ITV and Channel 4 beats US streaming rivals Ofcom Communications Market Report 2017 finds August 3, 2017 Britain is now a nation of binge watchers, as 40m of us watch more than one episode at a time, new research reveals. But traditional broadcasters remain more popular for satisfying that appetite than Netflix from which the watching habit sprung. More than three quarters of UK adults watch a back-to-back episode on catch-up or [...]