B&M: Bargain hunting Brits help budget chain’s revenues top £1bn June 29, 2023 Brits seeking out bargains have continued to drive earnings at value retailer B&M as it reported a 13.5 per cent rise in group revenue in the first leg of the year. The news, however, failed to impress investors as its share price slumped over 6 per cent when markets opened this morning. The homeware to [...]
New CMA bill could undermine UK’s tech superpower ambitions, CPS report warns June 29, 2023 The government should scrap its new Digital Markets, Competitions and Consumers (DMCC) bill because it is already too old, the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has warned today. The report, titled ‘The Unregulated Regulator’, alleges that dynamic digital markets have “outpaced” the new legislation. What’s more, it would weaken investment and grant the CMA “extensive [...]
Revolution v Boohoo: A dummy’s guide to the beauty bust-up June 29, 2023 Why is Boohoo causing tears? Boohoo, which holds a 26.6 per cent stake in Revolution, wanted to boot out Revolution’s chief executive Bob Holt, chairman Derek Zissman and chief financial officer Elizabeth Lake. Boohoo wanted to replace them with three new people – New Look executive chairman Alistair McGeorge, Boohoo executive director Neil Catto and [...]
Salesforce warns need to train workers in AI has ‘never been more urgent’ June 29, 2023 Companies urgently need to train staff how to use artificial intelligence tools effectively and safely, Salesforce’s UK & Ireland chief told City A.M. Chief executive Zahra Bahrololoumi said the need for “highly skilled people” who can use trustworthy data sources and protect sensitive data has “never been more clear nor urgent”. The comments come as [...]
Mark Kleinman on banks, Ocado and London’s IPO market June 29, 2023 Mark Kleinman is City editor at Sky News Politics could push ministers to punish banks This is a cost of living crisis, not a banking crisis: if I had a fiver for every time a senior bank executive had said that to me over the last 18 months, I’d never need another mortgage of my [...]
Thames Water’s woes don’t show the folly of privatisation, but a lack of competition June 29, 2023 Thames Water has got itself into this position not because it's in private hands, but because it isn't subject to the improving forces of the market
Hunt unveils measures to ensure customers get fair pricing June 28, 2023 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has drafted an action plan with authorities to ensure customers are being facing fair prices during the cost of living crisis. Hunt sat down with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and the regulators for the energy, water and communications sectors, early on Wednesday 28 June at 11 Downing Street. He was [...]
‘Get the companies under control!’: Microsoft president tells UK to get AI safety in order June 28, 2023 Microsoft president Brad Smith has reiterated that the UK needs to prioritise AI safety in its quest to become a global leader in new technologies. “Let’s get the companies under control”, Smith said, speaking at a packed Chatham House event on Wednesday afternoon, where he argued that a licensing regime is necessary on both a [...]
Andrew Bailey, Christine Lagarde and Jerome Powell warn inflation fight not yet done June 28, 2023 Andrew Bailey and the cream of the global central banking crop today warned they may need to keep heaping pressure on the global economy before they can declare victory over high inflation. Speaking at the European Central Bank’s (ECB) annual monetary policy conference in Sintra, Portugal, the chiefs of the Bank of England, Federal Reserve [...]
Uber announces new offerings from Majorca to Mykonos due to record tourism June 28, 2023 Uber has announced a host of new upgrades in European holiday hotspots from Spain to Greece, ahead of what is expected to be a record period of tourism demand in Southern Europe. Popular destinations from Croatia’s Split to Portugal’s Algarve will benefit from a swathe of new improvements, with Uber-users in the popular Greek island [...]