DEBATE: Could France overtake Britain for tech investment? March 18, 2019 Could France overtake Britain for tech investment? Kat Borlongan, director of the French Tech Mission, says YES. There are number of misconceptions around doing business in France. A language barrier and extensive bureaucracy have perhaps deterred investors from funding some of the best tech startups, specialising in everything from artificial intelligence to smart cities. But these [...]
Stop overlooking small businesses – they can be a massive force for good March 18, 2019 Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) make up 99 per cent of companies, and employ 60 per cent of private sector workers in the UK. And yet, they are often overlooked when we talk about responsible business. When SMEs take action on responsible business, they make a huge difference to London’s communities, to our environment, to [...]
US-based FIS buys Worldpay at $43bn valuation, creating payments giant March 18, 2019 British payment processor Worldpay was snapped up this morning by US-based Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) in a deal which values the firm at $43bn (£32bn). Excluding the target’s debt, the valuation comes to $34.83bn, the companies said. Read more: BT names payment services veteran as its new CEO It creates a company which had [...]
JD Sports buys Footasylum in £90m deal weeks after saying it would not bid for the firm March 18, 2019 JD Sports will buy footwear retailer Footasylum for £90m, the companies announced this morning a month after JD increased its stake to 19 per cent. The 82.5p per share offer values Footasylum at a considerable mark-up to its 46.5p closing price on Friday. Shreas soared 75 per cent to 81.5p this morning. Read more: Footasylum shares [...]
City Moves for 19 March – who’s switching jobs at the BBC, Hymans Robertson and Deezer? March 18, 2019 Who’s on the move today? BBC Shirley Garrood will join the BBC board as a non-executive director and chair of the audit and risk committee in July. Shirley, former chief financial officer of Henderson Group, will replace Simon Burke when his term ends on 3 July. She joins on a four-year term. BBC chairman Sir [...]
Revealed: The broadband provider most likely to cut you a better deal March 18, 2019 Consumers have long discussed the craftiest ways to negotiate the best deal from their broadband providers. But new research from check and challenge site Ismybillfair.com has revealed how likely broadband providers are to cut you a better deal. Read more: Satellite firm Inmarsat boosts revenue due to in-flight broadband demand According to the survey, Virgin [...]
Investment to hit lowest rate since financial crisis, UK business body warns March 18, 2019 Business investment in the UK will decline by one per cent in 2019 amid further Brexit uncertainty, making it the worst year since the financial crisis, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has today predicted. Economic growth in 2019 will be just 1.2 per cent, the BCC, the national body of 53 chambers of commerce, also [...]
City Hall accused of ‘repeating mistakes’ of Garden Bridge scandal over £22m housing loan March 18, 2019 City Hall has been accused of repeating the mistakes of the Garden Bridge after it agreed to loan nearly £22m towards the development of a controversial housing site in south London. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has agreed to loan American property developer Anthology £21.8m to build homes at Woodlands and Masters house in Lambeth, despite [...]
Small UK businesses remain confident despite uncertain outlook March 18, 2019 Three-quarters of Britain’s small and medium-sized businesses are confident about their growth prospects over the next 12 months despite tough political and economic conditions, according to new research. Read more: UK economy rebounds in January after December slump Almost 40 per cent describe themselves as “very optimistic”, with 70 per cent of small and medium-sized [...]
Oman Air beats British Airways to top Heathrow’s greenest airlines league March 18, 2019 Oman Air has topped Heathrow Airport's league of green and quiet airlines, beating rivals such as British Airways and Etihad Airways. Oman's flag carrier landed itself at the top of the league after it phased out its older aircraft and replaced it with the ultra-quiet and green Boeing 787 dreamliner. The Heathrow "fly quiet and [...]