City A.M. talks with Mark Roy of Read Group about the upcoming EU imposed GDPR November 7, 2016 No matter your business or profession, whether as an individual or an organisation, as of 25 May 2018 the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) will mean something to you. That may seem like some time away, and it is, but businesses that fail to adapt in time may get left behind. One man who [...]
Marmite’s changes personalised jar service considers “Brexit” a profanity November 4, 2016 Whether you love or hate Brexit, there's no need to censor it. Mere weeks after the biggest news story of 2016, #MarmiteGate agitator Unilever is offering fans of the divisive yeast spread the opportunity to personalise a jar with their name for Christmas. Of course, the first thing any mature adult would attempt to do is fill the online form [...]
Making your (Deutsche) mark in the German market November 3, 2016 With uncertainty in European markets after the Brexit vote, small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are keen, now more than ever, to break into new worldwide markets,” says Lindsay Whitelaw, founder and chairman of URICA. Ambition, especially in the face of uncertainty, should of course be commended, but it’s worth remembering that, although we’re leaving the [...]
Home is where the smart is: City A.M. meets Krystian Zajac October 31, 2016 When I first came to the UK, I was living in a tiny flat with five other people. I was educated, but washing dishes for a living. I did not care, the money was still better than what I got in Poland,” says Krystian Zajac, founder of Andrew Lucas. As far as rags to riches [...]
Keeping in the loop: City A.M. talks with LoopMe founder Stephen Upstone October 31, 2016 Stephen Upstone, chief executive and founder of LoopMe, is pondering his company's reach. "I think that out of the top 10 global brands, as rated by Interbrand, we work with eight of them,” he says. His business has touched 1.5bn people, handles 500bn bits of data a day, and has opened offices from Los Angeles to [...]
Land of Beds: Running a family business isn’t always bed-lam October 27, 2016 With any family business, when fresh blood comes along, they need to make their mark,” says Mike Murray, managing director of Land of Beds. In 2008, that’s exactly what he did when he joined the family business, embarking on the process of taking the reins from his father, Michael Murray (Senior) – who 30 years [...]
It’s facile to blame the referendum for everything: Digital killed the TV star, not Brexit October 26, 2016 It matters not which sector you work in, if something has gone wrong since June, chances are it was the fault of Brexit. Just try it, it’s easy: “_______ happened, due to Britain voting to leave the European Union”. Feels good, doesn’t it? As sinecures go, doomsayers have only just stopped short of blaming Brexit [...]
Start with a blank canvas: How to invest in the art market October 26, 2016 For years the idea of purchasing art as an investment was frowned upon by purists in the art world – the two should be separate, like church and state. Art as investment is certainly not for everyone: the market is quite illiquid, prices can be volatile, and storage costs can outweigh profits. But as investors [...]
Time is money: Are luxury watches a good investment? October 26, 2016 The current wave of smartwatches, like any new technology, will be outdated by the time you’ve finished reading this article. But certain classic watches not only tell the time, they increase in value with it. While the poorest performing of all the other asset classes (barring furniture), the watch sub-category of the Knight Frank Luxury [...]
As a standalone product, the Lifetime ISA is of little use to Londoners October 24, 2016 If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, as the old adage goes. If someone offered you free money, the first thing you’d ask is: “what’s the catch?” So when the government says it’s willing to give you up to £1,000 a year, for up to 32 years, it’s certainly worth taking [...]
