Homebase to be rebranded Bunnings after Wesfarmers completes £340m acquisition from Home Retail Group – now what’s happening with Argos? February 29, 2016 Home Retail Group has sold off its DIY chain Homebase to Australian group Wesfarmers, after shareholders voted 99.3 per cent in favour of the move. The deal, which was first submitted in December, valued the 265-store home improvement business at £340m. It was approved at an AGM last week and the deal was completed on Saturday [...]
Morrisons’ share price climbs as supermarket and Amazon reveal Pantry and Prime Now tie up – but Ocado’s share price is plummeting February 29, 2016 Morrisons' share price soared 5.4 per cent this morning, after revealing it had secured a major new agreement with Amazon, to sell "hundreds of products" via Prime Now and Pantry. The new tie-up, which will go live "in the coming months", will see Morrisons provide a wholesale supply service to Amazon, offering delivery of its ambient, fresh and frozen products. [...]
The Royal Mint is issuing technicolour coins featuring Peter Rabbit to celebrate Beatrix Potter’s 150th birthday February 29, 2016 To celebrate children's author Beatrix Potter's 150th birthday, the Royal Mint has pulled the rabbit out of the hat with a selection of technicolour coins commemorating her most iconic character, Peter Rabbit. Following the Beatrix Potter coin revealed at the start of the year, four more coins finished in full colour are being released throughout 2016, with the first vibrant [...]
City Moves for 29 February 2016 | Who’s switching jobs February 29, 2016 KPMG KPMG has appointed Sue Kershaw as a director in the UK firm and UK head of infrastructure programme and project management. Sue, who is a board member of the Association for Project Management, brings over 30 years’ experience as a civil engineer and programme manager to the role. Sue joins from CH2M HILL where [...]
The rate of change: Oliver’s Simon Martin on speed, Starbucks and the in-house model February 29, 2016 Whether it’s time to market or a reactive social campaign, speed is of the essence in business today. But while a catalyst remains unchanged after accelerating a chemical reaction, marketing agencies must transform to meet the evolving needs of their clients. “We created all the content around educating Starbucks customers about pre-ordering their drinks,” says Simon [...]
Being seen: Reducing the risks around viewability February 29, 2016 Last month, it was announced that online ad fraud is expected to cost brands $7.2bn globally in 2016, because of an infiltration of botnets, networks of computers infected with malicious software. There is a very real risk that ads are not being seen and media spend is being wasted. What differentiates smart marketers from the rest [...]
HMRC raises an extra £3.5bn from small businesses for underpayment of VAT, says tax investigation insurance company PfP February 29, 2016 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has raised an additional £3.5bn in the last year through inquiries into the under-payment of VAT by small businesses, tax investigation insurance company PfP said today. Increased VAT revenue accounted for 45% of the additional tax take in 2014/15 from investigation by HMRC’s local compliance teams, according to PfP. The [...]
CoalFace Capital’s Declan McEvoy on clichés, robo-advisers, and pink hair February 29, 2016 Plenty of people must have sat in their banking job thinking about what could be done better and wondering if they should just pack it all in and start their own business. Declan McEvoy, founder of innovative trading platform CoalFace Capital, first realised he wanted to be this person back in 1999, while doing his [...]
How business can get around the digital skills crisis February 29, 2016 Make no mistake, digital is more than just the word du jour; it’s helping companies to transform their businesses. But the demand for digital talent is causing yet another skills crisis. This skills gap is a complicated one as there are many factors at play, from education failing to keep pace with commercial need, through [...]
Budget 2016: Economists warn of tough times ahead for the British consumer February 29, 2016 British households will have to rein in their spending next year as inflation creeps back up and a fresh round of austerity bites, economic forecasters are warning today. The EY Item Club, which uses Treasury models to make its forecasts, said consumers will enjoy “one last hurrah” this year while inflation remains below one per [...]