Delays on Piccadilly Line, District Line and London Overground as trio of signal failures hit at Hammersmith, Upminster and Enfield while broken train causes chaos on Southeastern services January 8, 2016 Commuters faced delays on several Tube and train lines this morning, thanks to a trio of signal failures as rush hour started. The entire Piccadilly Line was suffering from severe delays, after a signal failure at Hammersmith disrupted the route. The failure, which occurred early this morning, had originally knocked out the service between Hyde [...]
Without proper e-commerce investment, Steve Rowe risks making Marks & Spencer fade into obscurity January 8, 2016 Ahead of Christmas, UBS analysts predicted that the retail winners would be those with the strongest online offering. As sales results from the holiday period get reported, the analysts are being proven right, with the most e-commerce and mobile-friendly retailers coming top of the pile in the festive fight. This trend claimed it’s first victim this week, with the [...]
Recommended alcohol unit intake reduced: The effect of wine or beer on health is more complicated than the chief medical officer would have us believe January 8, 2016 I have been predicting for years that the day will come when the recommended drinking level falls to zero. Today’s lowering of the weekly limit for men to a miserly 14 units (seven pints of beer) brings that day a little closer. It is clear from reading the chief medical officer Sally Davies’ report that she believes that teetotallism [...]
Saudi Arabia mulls IPO of oil producer Aramco – possibly the world’s most valuable company January 7, 2016 Saudi Arabia is mulling an IPO of state owned oil producer Saudi Aramco, possibly the world's most valuable company. Muhammad bin Salman, the kingdom’s deputy crown prince and defence minister, has said the decision about listing shares will be made in the next few months. He has held two high-level meetings about the move, the Economist reports. [...]
Marks & Spencer’s share price climbs as chief executive Marc Bolland leaves and Steve Rowe replaces him as trading slumps again January 7, 2016 Marks & Spencer's share price climbed this morning, after revealing chief executive Marc Bolland is leaving the company after yet another period of poor performance. Bolland will be succeeded by Steve Rowe, executive director of general merchandise. He will remain as chief executive and on the board until 2 April, and will remain "available" to Rowe during the handover [...]
Steve Rowe: Everything you need to know about the man replacing Marc Bolland at Marks & Spencer January 7, 2016 Marc Bolland is out. After months (if not years) of shareholders and analysts calling for him to leave Marks & Spencer, the former Morrisons man is hanging up his hat on 2 April. Bolland is handing over to Steve Rowe, an M&S lifer. But Rowe is relatively unknown to the wider world. Here's what you [...]
Bringing diversity into the boardroom: A five-point plan for business success January 7, 2016 This week Forbes published its annual 30 Under 30 list: 600 of the best and brightest across a wide range of industry sectors. Of the many responses to the list, one from Tyece Wilkins revelling in the fact that of those 600, 18 were black women, particularly resonated. Of course, 18 out of 600 is a very, very small number. But it’s [...]
Business jargon to watch out for in 2016: Prepare to start using (or at least hearing) the words amplify, ladder up and ecosystem January 6, 2016 Hold onto your hats, there's some new jargon coming to town for 2016. You might have learned to cope with eye-wateringly bad management speak like "actionable", "reach out" and "game-changer", but now you're going to have to learn to use a whole new set of phrases without giving into the temptation to bang your head against your desk. [...]
Tesco to start charging £2 for click and collect deliveries under £30 from February January 6, 2016 Tesco is to start charging for click-and-collect deliveries under £30, as the business looks to bolster its bottom line. The £2 charge, which will apply to deliveries under £30, will come into force from 2 February, according to an email sent to customers today. Tesco said in a statement the move was designed to ensure its click-and-collect service [...]
Man restrained by crew and passengers after threatening to blow up plane on British Airways flight BA105 from Heathrow to Dubai January 6, 2016 A man "went berzerk" during a British Airways flight from Heathrow to Dubai last night, claiming he had a bomb and was going to blow up the plane. The incident occurred around five hours into flight BA105, when the man began spitting at his fellow passengers. He was restrained by five crew members and the help [...]
