The PM’s posturing and fighting stance could upset trade talks before they’ve even begun February 4, 2020 The tears of joy and sadness seen on Brexit Day had barely dried before the UK and EU were at each other’s throats again ahead of trade talks set to last until the end of the year. Yesterday, both the UK and EU set out their negotiating positions, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson blithely stating [...]
City Moves for 4 February – Who’s switching jobs at Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion? February 4, 2020 Today’s City Moves includes Saatchi & Saatchi, Barkby and Superunion Saatchi & Saatchi Saatchi & Saatchi London has announced the appointment of Andrew Kay as managing partner on its prominent BT account. Andrew takes on the new role after three years as managing director at BETC. He began his career with account management roles at [...]
Demystifying corporate social responsibility: It’s not just about ‘do-gooders’ February 4, 2020 When Nationwide Building Society asked us to maximise the impact of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) function, we were very excited. Nationwide already had a deeply embedded sense of social responsibility. The brand was born out of a social purpose, and since 2007 it has been committed to investing at least one percent of its [...]
Nato members must invest in integrated defence — now February 4, 2020 The world has not stood idly by while the Brexit drama has played out these past few years. Now that it is blessedly ending, London must catch up on what it has been missing in the strategic world. Imagine the following scenario. Citizens of a small eastern European nation within Nato awake to find that [...]
Welcome to stage two of the Brexit battle: the ‘level playing field’ February 4, 2020 The battle of visions has begun. Boris Johnson views non-alignment with the major common EU rules as sacrosanct — unsurprising, since the UK has now withdrawn from the bloc. The European Commission, meanwhile, seeks an alignment of standards across a vast body of EU policy in return for a good trade deal. The essence of [...]
The UK’s unrivalled regulatory framework is at the heart of our success as a finance hub February 4, 2020 Britain has officially progressed into the next chapter of growth, and can begin negotiations to achieve the trading partnerships and relationships that will secure our competitive future. Having spent several years in the City myself and now as MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, a constituency with thousands working in financial services, this sector remains one [...]
Super-rich international shoppers flock to UK department stores February 4, 2020 The UK is the second most popular shopping destination in the world for super-rich tourists, with visitors spending up to €35,000 each with luxury British retailers, according to the latest research. Britain attracts 31 per cent of international “elite shoppers”, second only to France which took a 36 per cent share last year. Super-rich visitors [...]
Skills shortages continue to hit growth as UK employers struggle to find the right talent February 4, 2020 Skills shortages are continuing to impact economic growth, with almost three quarters of businesses reporting difficulties recruiting new talent at the end of last year, a new report found. While the UK’s labour market remained stable in the fourth quarter of 2019, with over half of firms attempting to recruit, 72 per cent of businesses [...]
Alphabet slides as it breaks out Youtube and Cloud revenue for the first time February 3, 2020 Google parent Alphabet’s shares fell in extended trading after it missed fourth-quarter revenue estimates, and gave an unexpected deep-dive into its sales breakdown for the first time. Alphabet reported overall revenue of $46.08bn for the three months to the end of December, versus analyst estimates of $46.9bn according to Refinitiv. Meanwhile it posted a profit [...]
Combined Just Eat and Takeaway.com shares start trading February 3, 2020 The combined shares of Just Eat and Takeaway.com began trading this morning, despite a competition watchdog probe into the merger. Just Eat’s shares were suspended this morning and the merged company Just Eat Takeaway.com began trading on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker Jet. However, a full integration of the two takeaway platforms is [...]