Buzzfeed issued strike-off warning over late company accounts December 4, 2019 Buzzfeed is under fierce pressure from financial authorities for failing to produce its company accounts more than two months after the deadline. Government agency Companies House has lodged a proposal to strike Buzzfeed from the official register as its 2018 accounts, which were due by 30 September this year, have still not been submitted. Read [...]
Duolingo bags unicorn status after Google cash injection secures $1.5bn valuation December 4, 2019 Language-learning platform Duolingo has joined the ever-growing ranks of tech unicorns, reaching a valuation of $1.5bn (£1.1bn) thanks to funding from Google’s venture capital arm. The US firm today announced it has bagged $30m in a Series F round led by existing investor Capital G – a private equity fund owned by Google parent company [...]
Stock Spirits shares up as Polish vodka demand drives revenue growth December 4, 2019 Shares in Stock Spirits rose more than five per cent this morning after the drinks company served up a strong rise in revenue and profit for the full year. The London-listed firm posted a nine per cent rise in revenue to €312.4m (£264.7m) in the year to the end of September, while pre-tax profit jumped [...]
Donald Trump ‘enjoyed’ No 10 meeting with Boris Johnson December 4, 2019 US President Donald Trump has said he “enjoyed” a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Downing Street last night. Trump, who is in London for a Nato summit, said the pair discussed the military alliance and trade issues. Read more: Nato summit 2019: Trump-Macron tensions mar 70th anniversary of alliance It comes as world [...]
Peloton’s ‘sexist’ advert was so bad it sent shares crashing December 4, 2019 Exercise bike firm Peloton is facing a fierce backlash over a Christmas advert that has been widely mocked as “sexist” and “dystopian”. The 30-second campaign shows a woman receiving a Peloton bike – which costs roughly £2,000 – from her husband. Read more: What the cluck? Watchdog bans offensive KFC advert over swear word reference [...]
Loungers shares rise as it cuts losses amid new restaurant openings December 4, 2019 Shares in Loungers rose as much as four per cent this morning after the bar and restaurant group slashed its loss and boosted revenue after opening a string of new sites. Read more: Loungers revenue soars following restaurant expansion Revenue rose 22 per cent to £79.8m in the 24 weeks to 6 October, while the [...]
What the cluck? Watchdog bans ‘offensive’ KFC advert over swear word reference December 4, 2019 The advertising watchdog has banned a KFC advert over concerns its reference to a swear word caused “serious and widespread offence”. A poster campaign for the fast food chain’s lunch menu featured the phrase “what the cluck?!”, while a similar newspaper ad included the elongated word “cluuuuuck”. Read more: Amazon ad banned for misleading customers [...]
Revealed: London’s best and worst streets for broadband speeds December 4, 2019 Many Londoners will be hoping to escape from the cold and settle in to stream their favourite movies and TV shows this Christmas. But as many will know, festive film fun can easily be frustrated when broadband speeds aren’t up to scratch. Read more: Virgin Media broadband down: Internet outage hits thousands of customers Now [...]
British tech tax to tie up Trump trade talks December 3, 2019 Tech bosses have warned that a digital services tax, included in the Conservative manifesto, could blow future US–UK trade talks off course. US President Donald Trump this week threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on some French goods, including cheese and wine, in retaliation to a similar tax passed into French [...]
Dating app advert starring Ulrika Jonsson banned for objectifying women December 3, 2019 An advert for an over-50s dating app starring Swedish TV personality Ulrika Jonsson has been banned over concerns it was offensive and objectified women. The Christmas campaign for mature dating service Lumen showed 52-year-old Jonsson in a red nightie and stockings, and was accompanied by the tagline “Be my stocking filler”. Read more: Twitter outlines [...]