UK startup growth clashes with Labour’s immigration reforms Business More than half of Britain’s fastest-growing startups are founded by immigrants, as global talent continues to power the UK’s entrepreneurial engine even as ministers tighten migration rules. New analysis from the Entrepreneurs Network shows that 54 per cent of the UK’s top 100 fastest-growing companies have at least one foreign-born founder, a sharp rise from [...]
Specsavers: Sales and profit rise as bumper pay day scrapped Retail Specsavers has scrapped the bumper dividend it has been handing to its billionaire owners despite its sales and profit growing during its latest financial year. The chain has paid out £15m in each its last two financial years to founders Dame Mary Perkins and her husband Doug. Over that time, Specsavers’ turnover has increased from [...]
Floating in London would be my ‘signature achievement’, ClearScore CEO Tech Floating credit score giant ClearScore on the London Stock Exchange would be “my signature achievement”, the company’s co-founder and chief executive has said. Speaking on an up-coming episode of City AM‘s Boardroom Uncovered show, Justin Basini opened up about the plans being drawn up to take ClearScore public in the next couple of years. He [...]
Startups tell Labour to snatch talent ‘displaced’ by Trump’s H-1B fee September 23, 2025 An entrepreneur campaign group backed by executives at top UK businesses has urged the Labour government to re-design its Global Talent visa to take innovators “displaced” by President Trump’s radical changes to the H-1B visa. The Startup Coalition has urged Home Office officials to change its Global Talent visa to help individuals re-locate from the [...]
The Entertainer: Staff eye tax-free bonuses as founders cede control August 11, 2025 Almost 2,000 employees of the UK’s biggest toy chain, The Entertainer, are set to receive tax-free bonuses after its founders handed them control of his retail empire. Gary Grant has transferred 100 per cent of his ownership in Teal Group Holdings, which he held alongside his wife Catherine, to an employee ownership trust. The move, [...]
The UK isn’t celebrating risk takers and wealth creators – Castore boss April 29, 2025 The UK is at risk of “taking too many steps down a road of not wanting to celebrate risk takers and wealth creators”, according to the co-CEO of sports apparel brand, Castore. Tom Beahon, who shares the top job with his brother Phil, added “there’s not a lot of incentive for anyone to take risks [...]
I quit the City of London and created £1bn Castore empire April 25, 2025 Cast your eye over the numerous growth lists that get churned out multiple times a year and there is one name that keeps cropping up towards the sharp end – Castore. The Manchester-headquartered brand has been on a skyrocketing journey since being founded by two Merseyside brothers in 2016. But Tom Beahon, who shares CEO [...]
‘It’s tragic that Britain hasn’t made Greg Jackson a national hero’ March 31, 2025 The billionaire founder of Octopus Energy, Greg Jackson, should be recognised more for his achievements in business and made a national hero, according to marketing veteran Rory Sutherland. The vice chairman of Ogilvy added it’s “tragic” that the UK doesn’t “make more heroes of our really innovative business successes” in the way the USA does. [...]
Thursday: Tinder and Hinge rival to shut app amid ‘rapidly declining interest’ January 9, 2025 Thursday, a challenger to the likes of Tinder and Hinge, is to close its app amid “rapidly declining consumer interest”. The London start-up’s app was launched in 2021 by George Rawlings and operated exclusively on Thursdays. It was originally designed as a bid to combat ‘dating fatigue’ and limited user activity to one day per [...]
Why Dry January is just another month for this alcohol-free beer brand January 3, 2025 Highlighting a year of growth, we take a look at some of the biggest and most recent achievements of the rapidly-growing alcohol-free beer brand, Days Brewing. Two friends, one pandemic and a few cold (alcohol-free) beers later – a long-lasting business was created. In 2020, former AB InBev man Mike Gammell and ex-Propercorn marketing chief [...]