Why innovation should be top of every business’ agenda June 1, 2016 Last week's announcement that the UK government will launch the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) body, a £6bn funded group to champion research and innovation, should be warmly welcomed by the UK and indeed the global business community. In modern business, everyone is trying to innovate, but very few are truly succeeding. In a world [...]
How digitisation can help save the UK’s creative industries June 1, 2016 Creativity is the lifeblood of the modern world we live in. From writers and designers, to architects and musicians, the world around us would not exist as it is if it wasn’t for our creators, who give every office, city and country its identity and history. The UK's creative industries, which generate £9.6m per hour for the UK [...]
Megabrew: South African regulator provisionally clears AB InBev’s £71bn takeover of SABMiller May 31, 2016 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s megabrew takeover of SABMiller took a step closer to completion today after the Competition Commission of South Africa provisionally approved the £71bn deal. The South African antitrust regulator has recommended to the country’s Competition Tribunal, which will make the final decision on the merger, that the proposed tie-up be approved with conditions. The conditions [...]
Leon and Wagamama lead the way as casual dining and pub grub drive new restaurant and bar openings May 31, 2016 Just when you thought you'd had enough, casual dining and food-led pubs are helping to drive new openings in the UK's bar and restaurant market. Entrepreneurial food-driven businesses like Leon and Wagamama, and the conversion of drink-led ventures into gastropubs by pub groups are helping to offset the decline in marginal sites. The latest quarterly growth figures from [...]
New Zealand is the latest country to propose introducing plain cigarette packaging laws May 31, 2016 New Zealand has emerged as the latest country to propose introducing plain packaging for cigarette boxes. In a statement released today, which coincides with World No Tobacco Day, the government said it would model the plain packaging requirements on those already in use in Australia, and will propose mandatory health warnings cover at least 75 [...]
Bitcoin price rises more than two per cent to above £370 following recent rally May 31, 2016 The bitcoin price has continued its recent rally to rise another two per cent today. The price of a single bitcoin reached a high of £374.04 ($546.85) in trading today, up more than 2.6 per cent, and was trading at £371.94 by 1pm (GMT), according to Coindesk. Prices have risen by around 20 per cent since 28 May, [...]
JD Wetherspoon’s has taken its Brexit campaign to a new level as the company prints 200,000 beer mats May 31, 2016 Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has just upped the ante in its steadfast campaign for Britain to vote to leave the EU. Today, the pubs group announced its founder and chief executive Tim Martin has printed 200,000 beer mats calling for the UK to vote leave – taking aim at Christine Lagarde and the International Monetary [...]
Gordon Ramsay Group toasts healthy sales growth after “huge transformation” May 31, 2016 The Gordon Ramsay Group toasted healthy full-year results today, as revenue at the London-based, international restaurant firm grew more than 10 per cent The figures Revenue at the restaurant group was up 12.6 per cent to £50.3m in the year to 31 August 2015, up from £44.7m in 2014. The group posted an operating loss of £1m [...]
E-cigarettes should be “promoted” not attacked, manufacturer Fontem Ventures urges on World No Tobacco Day May 31, 2016 E-cigarettes should be promoted as an alternative to traditional smoking rather than attacked, a leading manufacturer has urged. Fontem, a Netherlands-based subsidiary of the big four cigarette maker Imperial Tobacco, hit out at the World Health Organization for pushing an "anti-vaping agenda" and "ignoring the scientific consensus" that e-cigarettes could be a tool in the fight against [...]
Czech mate: Tank beer brewers Pilsner Urquell drink to growing success in London May 30, 2016 The craze for craft beer has spread across the capital in recent years, satisfying a growing thirst for high-quality beverages. But there's more to this trend than just ultra-hoppy, trendy cans of IPA. Another artisan beer movement has been gradually gaining mainstream attention. Tank beer has hit the London bar scene. While craft beer, which [...]
