Notifications to EU Commission about unlawful tax breaks rocket in state aid crackdown May 30, 2019 The number of notifications to the EU Commission about potentially unlawful tax breaks has rocketed as countries take a tougher stance on state aid. In the last five years the Commission was notified about 385 potentially unlawful tax breaks, compared to just 80 between 2007 and 2013. Over the 12 months to 31 March the [...]
Starbucks’ rival Luckin Coffee sees share price double on debut May 17, 2019 China's Luckin Coffee shares opened at $25 on Friday morning despite recent poor IPO performances. It was 47 per cent more than the issue price of $17 as the Starbuck's rival raised $561m to give it a pre-trading valuation of around $4bn. Read more: Thomas Cook shares crash 40 per cent as investors urged to sell [...]
S4 Capital continues to grow profits as it lands big-name client wins May 3, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s advertising firm S4 Capital has posted another quarter of bumper revenue and profit growth as it looks to win over big clients with its digital-first approach. Read more: Sir Martin Sorrell was paid £140,000 by S4 Capital in 2018 The figures S4 Capital posted like-for-like revenue growth of 35 per cent to [...]
China is proving a tough market for western brands – here’s the common mistakes that companies keep making April 12, 2019 Last week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2019 growth forecast for the Chinese economy to 6.3 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent. For comparison, the UK economy is only expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year. It’s worth noting these figures, because they highlight why many brands in the UK and elsewhere [...]
Chilango, burrito bonds, and London – the boss of the Mexican food chain talks about the virtues of crowdfunding April 8, 2019 After interviewing Eric Partaker, the co-founder of burrito chain Chilango, he says I should try the food at his elaborately decorated restaurant on Cannon Street. I ask what he recommends, and instead of picking from the regular menu, he suggests I sample the “Noah’s Ark” – a lunch box containing all the meat options. A [...]
Best 5 US stocks for an ISA March 28, 2019 | City Talk By Rodney Hobson from interactive investor. Brexit makes investing overseas especially attractive now, argues our commentator, author and columnist. Rodney Hobson is an experienced financial writer and commentator who has held senior editorial positions on publications and websites in the UK and Asia, including Business News Editor on The Times and Editor of Shares magazine. [...]
Starbucks delivery expands across central London while company continues green push March 20, 2019 Coffee drinkers across central London will be able to get their daily caffeine fix delivered straight to the office as Starbucks expands its delivery trials and starts tests of new greener cups in the capital, the company announced today. The coffee chain trialled Starbucks Delivers, its collaboration with Uber Eats, in parts of London last [...]
Revolutionary is overrated – unsexy is the new black February 1, 2019 There was a time when pushy parents steered their children towards professions like medicine, banking, or law, while their offspring dreamed of being musicians, pilots, and firefighters. Now, it seems that having the next big idea or making money through your personal brand on social media is the common career goal. The entrepreneur is the [...]
There’s a lesson from Dyson’s Singapore move, but it has nothing to do with Brexit January 25, 2019 There’s no question that Dyson’s move from Wiltshire to Singapore will be a loss to Britain. The company boasts profits in excess of £1bn, employs 4,000 in its Malmesbury offices alone, and is one of the UK’s major business success stories. But that doesn’t justify the political backlash we’ve seen. In true polarising fashion, owner Sir [...]
Coffee to go: Starbucks set to trial London deliveries after US roll-out January 22, 2019 Starbucks will begin trialling a coffee-to-your-door service in London at the end of the month as it looks to tap into the $95bn (£73.7bn) global market for online food delivery. The company has teamed up with food delivery app Uber Eats in a bid to corner the market in the capital by offering delivery from a [...]