Mothercare to appoint administrators for 79 UK stores November 4, 2019 Mothercare has confirmed it is preparing to appoint administrators to its UK retail arm later today in the latest blow to the British high street. The company announced this morning that a notice of intent to appoint administrators to Mothercare UK and Mothercare Business Services has been filed with the court. Read more: Mothercare warns [...]
McDonald’s boss fired for relationship with employee November 4, 2019 The chief executive of McDonald’s has been fired for violating a company policy by dating an employee. British-born boss Steve Easterbrook has left the fast food chain after demonstrating “poor judgement”, McDonald’s said on Sunday. Read more: McDonald’s misses estimates in latest quarterly earnings In an email to staff, Easterbrook acknowledged he had struck up [...]
Marston’s sells off 137 pubs for £45m as it looks to slash debt pile November 4, 2019 Marston’s has offloaded 137 pubs to Admiral Taverns in a deal worth almost £45m. As part of a plan to slash its debt by £200m over the next four years, the British brewery giant has sold a portfolio of pubs that contributed operating profit of £3.7m in the last 12 months. Read more: Pubs cash [...]
German and British scaleups go head-to-head in tech funding wars November 4, 2019 Tech scaleups in the UK and in Germany are leading the way for European late stage funding, locked in a battle to see which country will come out on top for 2019. The two nations have pulled ahead of the pack in terms of mega rounds — injections of €100m (£86.3m) or more — between [...]
The neo townhouse: These enduringly popular London homes are getting a modern makeover November 4, 2019 London is an architectural patchwork of cottages and terraces, mansion flats, mews and tower blocks. And then there’s the townhouse. Definitions vary for this apparently all-encompassing name – for what is a townhouse? Is it no more than a house in town? If so, what is a “town”? Or is it a particular kind of [...]
Over the last decade, central banks have gained huge influence over our lives November 4, 2019 Monetary policy, central bank independence, quantitative easing. These and many other subjects tend to make people’s eyes glaze over, and are best left to finance nerds to battle over in quiet corners. Yet central banks have, over the last decade, emerged from the shadows of arcane macroeconomic policy discussions to become fundamental to all our [...]
DEBATE: Will Uber’s move into banking succeed or fail? November 4, 2019 Can Uber graduate from taxi rank to taxi bank after announcing its move into financial services? YES, says Andrew Mitchell, vice president at JCB. Uber’s drivers are its bedrock. And growing driver service and revenue options without earth-shattering outlays is shrewd indeed. As such, Uber Money is a logical step to maximise its digital-lifestyle standing [...]
Vaping saves lives, so let us resist the temptation to panic over e-cigarettes November 4, 2019 Over recent weeks, there have been many headlines about several deaths and respiratory illnesses in the US linked to e-cigarettes. First, it is absolutely right that public health authorities are investigating these events with the seriousness that they deserve. However, for the 3.6m smokers in the UK who have successfully quit smoking completely by switching [...]
Labour’s election campaign rides on shameful NHS scaremongering November 4, 2019 Labour’s campaign will be wildly populist, gambling on the theory that voters are ready for a radical alternative. To make their case, promises of free education, free social care, higher pay, lower rent and better services will be offered alongside a dystopian vision of Tory Britain under Boris Johnson. Read more: Corbyn brands government’s fracking [...]
City firms must prove their responsible business credentials to attract top talent November 4, 2019 Brexit has been top of the agenda for many City firms, but there is so much more that they should be thinking about. When I speak to young City workers at the start of their careers, they want to know that their employers are standing up and making a positive difference. They want to work [...]