French Connection: Sale talks ‘ongoing’ as losses narrow September 17, 2019 French Connection has said that sale talks are ongoing, as the embattled fashion chain posted narrowing losses and a fall in revenue this morning. Shares fell 12.37 per cent after the retailer announced it is extending a strategic review into the business amid continued discussions over the future of the struggling business, which has been [...]
Aquis Exchange posts rise in revenues and market share September 17, 2019 Pan-European share trading platform Aquis Exchange grew both its revenue and its market share over the last year as it pressed ahead with plans to disrupt the initial public offering (IPO) market. Revenues jumped 165 per cent to £3.4m in the 12 months to the end of June 2019. Read more: Number of private equity [...]
Banks can’t ignore the disruptors any longer September 17, 2019 Inside one of the City of London’s oldest buildings, bankers are discussing the future. Amid trade war turmoil, Brexit uncertainty and climate change concerns, there is one issue above all that dominates the agenda; digitalisation. It is a topic at the heart of the 23rd World Conference of Banking Institutes held at the City’s Guildhall, [...]
Digital battlegrounds: The war between big tech and regulators September 17, 2019 We now live in the age of the internet of things, where voice-sniffing devices abound, and consumers have the convenience of tailored search suggestions. Perhaps it is Amazon’s Alexa – revealed earlier this year to be forever listening to its users’ conversations – that provides the emblem of the age. However, while such devices can [...]
Founders, change with the times as your startup scales up September 17, 2019 You’ve had your brilliant idea, and others are backing you by working for or even investing in your startup. Your role as founder is clear: you need to make sure that all your people pull together to make your vision a reality, but the buck stops with you. It will take all your energy and [...]
Real lives will be ruined by the delay to the laws dropped with the prorogation of parliament September 17, 2019 The prorogation of parliament has been variously cast as an attempted coup or a smart move in delivering the referendum mandate. Either way, many among both the fans and the critics have overlooked the impact that the end of a parliamentary term can have on real people. For when parliament is prorogued, dissolved or dismissed, [...]
Chill out about Hong Kong’s bid for the London Stock Exchange September 17, 2019 The London Stock Exchange is under siege. Despite initially rebuffing an unsolicited £32bn takeover bid from its counterpart in Hong Kong, it is expected to face an improved offer in a matter of days. There has, inevitably, been a clamour for the UK government to intervene to block the bid. Many of those opposing the [...]
DEBATE: London Fashion Week is drawing to a close, but does fast fashion stand up to ethical scrutiny? September 17, 2019 London Fashion Week is drawing to a close, but does fast fashion stand up to ethical scrutiny? Bill Wirtz, senior policy analyst at the Consumer Choice Center, says YES. Every few weeks, there is a new environmentalist quest to ban something that consumers like. While activists in the UK are protesting “fast fashion”, their German [...]
Unsung heroes: How migrants power our economy and transform lives back home September 17, 2019 With all the debate over Britain’s post-Brexit immigration policy, its relationship with other nations, and its place on the world stage as a supporter of global development, it is worth going back to basics and reminding ourselves of what exactly our migrants contribute, to both the UK and the world. Because make no mistake, ambitious [...]
Value of government’s £22bn Help to Buy scheme ‘uncertain’ September 17, 2019 MPs have raised alarm bells over the government’s costly Help to Buy scheme, noting that more than half of those it helped did not need financial support, while warning it does not address structural problems in the housing market. The scheme, which will cost an estimated £22bn – more than eight-times its original budget, has [...]