The City will bounce back: Royal Exchange owners on the future of retail August 17, 2021 Is London over? There are plenty of doom-mongers ready to make that case after the pandemic flipped the world on its head. But for answers, it helps sometimes simply to follow the money. Two new skyscrapers approved recently for the City of London and occupancy increasing at pre-existing buildings like 22 Bishopsgate bode well. And [...]
The future of the office: How one property firm is using virtual reality to create the new normal August 16, 2021 The future of the office has never been more richly discussed. For all the benefits of flexible working, most firms seem determined to bring people back in to reap the benefits of collaboration and creativity. But the co-founder of one property firm, Kitt, is determined to make sure that when we get back to the [...]
Meet Shein: The secretive Chinese fast-fashion firm taking over online retail July 27, 2021 Taking the Tube at the minute can still, at times, feel like time travel. Around you are slightly tattered posters for theatre productions that haven’t been on stage for more than a year; ads for movies touted for cinema release that ended up quietly released to Netflix with little fanfare. Amongst these relics of a [...]
Weekend Escape: Broadstairs’ Belvidere Place a perfect home from home on the Kentish Riviera July 23, 2021 It is fair to say that Kent has experienced something of a rebrand over the past decade or so. Londoners discovered Whitstable – no, you probably can’t get a table at The Sportsman for lunch – and just about colonised poor Margate. Round the coast, Deal and Folkestone are increasingly being eyed by Zone 2ers [...]
Shakespeare on advertising: Greggs can bake in profits with well-targeted campaign July 15, 2021 Greggs recently announced that, following the easing of lockdown measures, its sales had recovered at a faster rate than many had anticipated. The bakery chain – regarded by some as a national treasure – expects annual profits to exceed previous forecasts. Data from YouGov BrandIndex UK shows that Greggs’ Current Customer scores have steadily improved [...]
Collective: Feeling the benefit of the gig economy growing up July 10, 2021 Back in the halcyon days of the mid-2010s – a world before Brexit buses and a global pandemic – it was easy to find cheerleaders for the gig-ification of the capital’s employment scene. Uber and others were redefining work. Londoners were whizzing around in cheap cabs. Politicians were falling over themselves to champion the free-market [...]
Finalto takeover battle heats up as latecomer Gopher offers to pay break clauses July 9, 2021 London-listed Playtech’s shareholders will have more time to examine a controversial takeover offer for its trading platform Finalto after it delayed a planned General Meeting by a fortnight. Playtech’s board had recommended the sale of the platform to an Israeli consortium for around £150m, but a larger offer from shareholder Gopher Investments emerged last week. [...]
Recruitment boss: Remote working set to hold back younger workers July 7, 2021 Extended periods of remote working are “not healthy” for younger staff as they cannot learn from peers, recruiting boss Robert Walters reckons. Speaking to City A.M., Walters said that “you cannot learn when you’re not next to someone, ideally your boss,” echoing concerns heard across the Square Mile about the dangers of long-term remote work. [...]
Lord Mayor’s cricket match raises plenty for worthy charities July 6, 2021 More than 300 people attended the City’s most eagerly-anticipated cricket match over the weekend in aid of the Lord Mayor’s appeal. Actor Damian Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod’s XI triumphed over the Lord Mayor’s team by five wickets, notching up the necessary 120 with plenty of wickets to spare. The match was played at the stunning ground [...]
Wise exec: London tech scene already at ‘critical mass’ despite Brexit July 5, 2021 A senior exec at London fintech darling Wise has said Brexit “won’t get in the way” of the capital’s tech ecosystem continuing to thrive. Speaking on City A.M.’s podcast, the firm’s Chief Financial Officer Matt Briers said that while many elements including recruiting have become “harder,” the tech climate is “already at critical mass.” Read [...]
