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 [...]
How I’m readying my British honey brand for overseas expansion November 12, 2024 Jennifer Sieg meets Scott Davies, founder of British honey brand Hilltop Honey, to discuss the road to international expansion Impact-Site-Verification: 23b14862-b50e-4637-a6fb-9e8e82968724 International expansion is a dream come true for many entrepreneurs who want to tap into new market opportunities and subsequently reach a wider customer base. But to do so successfully takes some tenacity, and [...]
If we can’t ‘eradicate the bias’ — how do we close the funding gap? October 25, 2024 Join Ambition AM for a powerful event on closing the gender funding gap, where female entrepreneurs share their experiences, challenges and insights.
Budget uncertainty threatens to freeze growth at small businesses October 22, 2024 A significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have warned their growth ambitions may be at risk if Rachel Reeves doesn’t prioritise their concerns in the upcoming Autumn Budget. According to a survey of over 500 SME leaders on behalf of specialist lender Simply Asset Finance, 74 per cent said the outcomes of the [...]
I built a fintech giant with no formal qualifications — now I own a football club October 21, 2024 “I started to knock that back and then I started to actually see the power of being a woman and of being who I am, rather than trying to fit in by being something that I'm not."