Sign-up economy falls apart as Brits ditch costly subscriptions en masse due to fast-shrinking budgets July 7, 2022 New figures out this morning show that the growth of the “subscription economy” is stalling rapidly as living costs squeeze household budgets and people return to pre-coronavirus pandemic routines. More than a third (36%) of people say they have cancelled at least one subscription because their disposable income has fallen as interest rates and inflation [...]
UK competition watchdog opens EU copycat investigation into Amazon July 6, 2022 The UK competition watchdog launched an investigation into whether Amazon has a dominant market position this morning and if it was abusing this power. The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) probe will hinge on whether the US giant is giving an unfair advantage to its own retail business or sellers, compared to other third-party sellers [...]
Just Eat and Amazon team up on takeaways in U.S. July 6, 2022 Takeaway giant Just Eat and Amazon have launched a new partnership today to give Amazon Prime members access to free deliveries on order in its U.S. unit Grubhub.
Complaints from EU push Amazon to allow two-click cancellation for Prime July 1, 2022 Amazon have made it easier for users to cancel their Prime subscriptions in just two clicks after consumer groups took their grievances about the e-commerce giant to the EU last year. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), the Norwegian Consumer Council and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue criticised Amazon for pushing users to go through a number [...]
‘A win for all parties’: BT and Amazon to share Champions League rights under new £1.5bn deal July 1, 2022 Amazon will split the rights to the Champions League with BT for the 2024-27 cycle, a period which marks the start of a new format for UEFA’s men’s European club competitions. It means Amazon has secured live UK rights to the Champions League for the first time, spelling danger for broadcasters who have already felt [...]
Amazon restricts LGBTQ+ search results in UAE following government pressure June 30, 2022 Amazon has restricted search results for LGBTQ+-related products in the United Arab Emirates after the government imposed threats on the US retail giant. As first reported by the New York Times, search terms like ‘LGBTQ’ and ‘pride’ were banned, as well as product searches such as ‘transgender flag’, and ‘chest binder for lesbians’. When searched, [...]
Amazon tells government online sales tax would wound small retailers using its platform June 23, 2022 An Amazon manager cautioned the government that a levy on internet heavyweights would cause serious damage to the UK’s small retailers, According to a report by Sky News, John Boumphrey, Amazon’s UK country manager, urged a Treasury minister against an online sales tax (OST) at a meeting with retail chiefs on Wednesday. A one per [...]
Retail chiefs to meet with Treasury amid fears of fading interest in online sales tax June 20, 2022 Top retail bosses will meet with a Treasury minister later this week with the hopes of reigniting government interest in launching an online sales tax and reforming the current rates system. According to a report by Sky News, executives from retail powerhouses including Amazon, Asda, ASOS, Currys and JustEat Takeaway, are to meet with the [...]
Mark Kleinman’s exclusive column: Downing Street business adviser pondering exit? June 15, 2022 Raging inflation, labour shortages, a weakening currency, supply chain chaos and – in the eyes of many colleagues and opponents alike – a lame duck prime minister: if you thought that being a CEO in such a climate was tough, spare a thought for his own business liaison chief. Alex Hickman, a co-founder of the [...]
Apple knocks Amazon off the top spot to become world’s most valuable brand June 15, 2022 Tech giant Apple has pushed Amazon off the top spot to be the most valuable global brand, ranking higher than Google. Apple is set to become the first trillion-dollar brand, with a brand value of $947.1bn with plans to enter into the Buy Now Pay Later arena. Google shot up the rankings to second place, [...]