Citigroup names new treasury and trade head for Britain and Europe February 3, 2020 Citigroup has appointed Peter Crawley as its new head of treasury and trade solutions (TTS) for Britain and Europe. Crawley, who has been Citigroup’s TTS head for Sub-Saharan Africa since 2013, will take up the new role in April, according to an internal memo. He will be responsible “for driving the business strategy, new business [...]
New Tesco boss’s start date delayed until October February 3, 2020 The start date of Tesco’s new boss Ken Murphy has been pushed back as he is forced to see out a non-compete agreement. The supermarket giant announced in October last year that chief executive Dave Lewis will step down this summer, and will be succeeded by Walgreens Boots Alliance veteran Murphy. However, the grocer said [...]
Which advert won the 2020 Super Bowl? February 3, 2020 While for American Football fans the Super Bowl is the most important match of the season, for millions more it’s a chance to watch some of the year’s most-hyped adverts. While the Kansas City Chiefs may have won the game last night, once again it was Microsoft that emerged as the advertising champion with a [...]
Hostel chain Safestay reports strong start to 2020 February 3, 2020 Boutique hostel brand Safestay said it had “momentum” going into this year after sales surged in 2019 following its portfolio expansion. Total revenue increased 25 per cent to £18.3m last year as the hostel chain opened eight new venues, taking its total portfolio to 21 sites and more than 5,100 beds. Like-for-like revenue was up [...]
Amazon ‘launches search’ for new London office space February 3, 2020 Amazon is said to be on the hunt for new office space in London as the e-commerce giant doubles down on its commitment to the capital after Brexit. The tech firm has called in advisers at Cushman & Wakefield to find a building with roughly 200,000 square feet (sq ft) of office space, the Times [...]
Payments company Worldline to buy rival Ingenico in €7.8bn deal February 3, 2020 Worldline has agreed to buy French rival Ingenico, creating a new global payments player in a rapidly-consolidating industry in a €7.8bn (£6.6bn) deal. The two companies said the deal would create a new European leader in the sector and the world’s fourth largest payment services provider, which would provide services to nearly one million merchants [...]
We need to talk about race February 3, 2020 We need to talk about race. Because it directly affects the bottom line—and then some. Look to the much-quoted McKinsey study on ‘Why diversity matters’ and firms in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35 percent more likely to outperform their median peers. Some estimate that we could add £24bn to the [...]
Boris Johnson: UK doesn’t need EU rules for Brexit trade deal February 3, 2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK will not accept EU rules as part of a post-Brexit trade deal, but said Britain is not going to engage in a “cut-throat race to the bottom” standards. In a heavily trailed speech in London, the PM said: “There is no need for a free trade agreement [...]
Dominic Cummings sets up ‘spy network’ in bid to stop leaks February 3, 2020 Boris Johnson’s top adviser has set up a network of informants in plush Westminster restaurants in an audacious bid to stop ministerial aides from leaking to journalists. Dominic Cummings told special advisers on Friday that they must cough up half the bill if they go out for lunch, dinner or drinks with members of the [...]
UK PMI: Manufacturing sector hits nine-month high February 3, 2020 The UK manufacturing sector had its best performance in nine months in January, halting a long-running decline that began in May of last year, survey data has shown. The IHS Markit/Cips manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 50 in January as new orders and business confidence recovered. The score was well above December’s reading [...]