First of its kind deal: Deliveroo riders unionise with GMB union May 12, 2022 Deliveroo riders have unionised with GMB Union, bringing together more than 90,000 self employed riders. Through a Voluntary Partnership Agreement, GMB will have rights to collective bargaining on pay and consultation rights on benefits and other issues, including riders’ health, safety and wellbeing. GMB Union and Deliveroo have signed an historic union recognition deal covering [...]
Royal Mail bets big on 500 drones for 50 new aerial postal routes across UK in push to make air deliveries take off May 12, 2022 With the creation of 50 new “postal drone routes” over the next three years, Royal Mail said it plans to increase its use of drones for deliveries. Under a partnership with logistics drone company Windracers, and subject to Civil Aviation Authority approval, the move will provide faster and more convenient services for remote communities, said [...]
JD Sports sales go up but group remains aware of headwinds May 12, 2022 Sports retailer JD Sports has announced an increase in sales but said it remained aware of market volatility and possible headwinds looming ahead. In the first 14 weeks ended 7 May, JD Sports’ revenues went up 5 per cent on the same period last year, as the group was left almost unscathed by a shortfall [...]
Superdry revenue increases after customers flock back to stores May 12, 2022 UK clothing company Superdry has posted an 8 per cent increase in group revenue after customers returned to the stores post-Covid. In the 12 months ended 23 April, Superdry’s revenue increased to £600m, driven by a 59.8 per cent growth in store revenue. Proceedings derived by Superdry’s e-commerce business, on the other hand, went down [...]
Office workers can now use local Tesco to work from as supermarket giant joins forces with IWG May 12, 2022 Office workers across the UK will soon be able to use their local Tesco to work from as the supermarket group launches a new partnership with IWG. Tesco has said the flexible workspace business will convert excess space at its supermarket stores into office space designed for hybrid working. It comes amid the continued shift [...]
Exclusive: Pressure mounts on Treasury over BNPL regulation as Woolard says ‘pace has slowed’ May 12, 2022 Pressure is mounting on the Treasury to greenlight the next stage of buy-now pay-later regulation as concerns grow over the use of the products in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
Canadian investment giant close to HomeServe takeover May 11, 2022 Shares in emergency repair services firm Homeserve have surged after reports it was nearing a sale to Brookfield. HomeServe, listed on the FTSE-250 index, saw its share price up some 13 per cent on Wednesday afternoon after speculation of a takeover by the Canadian investment giant. Reports by Bloomberg on Wednesday morning suggested that the [...]
‘Taking the pistachio’: Watchdog bans Tesco Mobile ads for potential ‘serious and widespread offence’ May 11, 2022 UK advertising watchdog banned Tesco Mobile’s advertising campaign this morning for using expletives as names for food substitutes. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the names were likely to cause “serious and widespread offence”, ruling the use of “shiitake” and “pistachio” to be unacceptable. One advert seen in February featured text saying: “What a load [...]
Generation AI: Breakthrough for automation as robot ‘chef’ in Cambridge can taste food at different stages of the chewing process May 11, 2022 A robot “chef” has been trained to taste food at different stages of the chewing process to check if it is salty enough, imitating a similar process in humans. The University of Cambridge researchers suggest their results could be useful in the development of automated or semi-automated food preparation by helping robots to learn what [...]
Beauty Bay eyes outright sale after ditching London IPO plans May 11, 2022 Online marketplace Beauty Bay has recruited bankers to look at options including a sale, after previously eyeing a London listing. Beauty Bay has reportedly hired Threadstone Capital to advise it as it mulls options including a full or partial sale, or snapping up other firms to further its expansion ambitions. The beauty platform is now [...]