Atos chief exec leaves job after French IT firm sets out plans to split June 14, 2022 Atos chief executive Rodolphe Belmer today left his position as chief executive of the French IT consultancy, following a boardroom spat over plans to split Atos’ business into two separate, publicly-listed firms. The French exec, who only took on his new role January, is now set to be replaced by two new deputy CEOs, who [...]
London Metal Exchange faces second lawsuit this week after Jane Street sues over nickel trading fiasco June 7, 2022 New York trading firm Jane Street Capital has followed its Wall Street rival Elliot Management in filing a lawsuit against the London Metal Exchange (LME), over its decision to halt trading of nickel and cancel trades in March. The high-frequency trading firm is suing the LME for $15.3m (£12.2m), after the Hong Kong Exchanges and [...]
‘Back to business’ for City favourite T.M. Lewin after 120-year old menswear brand strikes rescue deal May 27, 2022 British menswear brand TM Lewin, for decades a favourite among workers in the Square Mile, told City A.M. this morning it is back in business. Announced six weeks after the heritage brand struck a rescue deal with TM Lewin Shirtmaker Limited, the company is relaunching solely online, for now. Established over 120 years ago, TM [...]
Marks & Spencer’s CFO urges Chancellor Rishi Sunak to firmly reject online sales tax May 19, 2022 Marks and Spencer has reportedly warned the Government that an online sales tax would do more harm than good for the high street. In February, the Government launched a consultation into possibilities for an online sales tax to ease the business rates burden on high street stores. In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, reportedly [...]
From Boxpark to Punch Pubs: Cash influx for leisure sector as UK private equity deals double in just one year May 16, 2022 The number of UK private equity deals for companies in the leisure sector has more than doubled from 12 to 26 in the past year, according to research by one of the City’s biggest law firms. Private equity funds are taking the opportunity to pick up assets at comparatively low prices ahead of the leisure [...]
Post-pandemic expansion push for Screwfix as DIY giant goes on hiring spree for 800 people to staff 80 new UK stores May 16, 2022 As part of plans to open 80 new shops across the UK and Ireland, home improvement business Screwfix said this morning it is to create 800 retail jobs by January. The retailer’s sales were boosted during the pandemic as locked-down Britons hired tradespeople to spruce up their properties and gardens. Screwfix and B&Q owner Kingfisher [...]
Generation AI: Breakthrough for automation as robot ‘chef’ in Cambridge can taste food at different stages of the chewing process May 11, 2022 A robot “chef” has been trained to taste food at different stages of the chewing process to check if it is salty enough, imitating a similar process in humans. The University of Cambridge researchers suggest their results could be useful in the development of automated or semi-automated food preparation by helping robots to learn what [...]
Retail reality check: High Streets have too many shops which cannot all be saved, says retail guru Sir John Timpson May 7, 2022 Retail giant Sir John Timpson said there are too many shops in most towns and there needs to be more variety on the high street. Sir John, the chairman and owner of Timpson, a UK shoe repair chain with over 2,000 outlets, called for more choice in town centres. “We’ve got to look to the [...]
UK retail investors hold their nerve despite rising inflation, commodities and Ukraine war raging on May 5, 2022 UK retail investors have remained composed in the face of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite significant concerns about future implications of the crisis on the financial markets, international relations, and the environment. Only 14 per cent of investors monitor the conflict between Russia and Ukraine when thinking about their investment strategy. The same number said they [...]
Let Brits pick value brands over own-branded products to beat cost of living crisis, Cabinet minister suggests May 4, 2022 A Cabinet minister suggested shoppers could choose value brands to help cope with rising food prices. Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News that rising fertiliser and feed costs had hit the farming industry, partly as a result of soaring energy prices. “The better news is that we have a very, very competitive retail market [...]