Footwear chain Dune tables offer to save struggling retailer LK Bennett March 27, 2019 Footwear chain the Dune Group has tabled an offer for LK Bennett as the struggling fashion retailer’s administrators prepare to select a buyer. Dune, which operates 40 standalone stores and 175 concessions in the UK, was one of a handful of potential buyers to submit final bids earlier this week, Sky News reported. Read more: [...]
Ousted Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn had too much power, report finds March 27, 2019 Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn had too much power and was able to hide his misconduct through an “opaque” management system, an explosive report has found. The independent report into Nissan’s governance, commissioned after Ghosn’s dramatic ousting, states the executive built up too much authority and created a “top-down” corporate culture that left employees powerless [...]
10 London fintechs prepare to scale up as they join Tech Nation startup programme March 27, 2019 London fintechs dominate the latest entries to a government-backed startup programme as the capital's fintech sector continues to boom. Monzo, Starling Bank, Revolut and Salary Finance were among the companies selected for this year’s Future 50 programme. Read more: Fintech unicorn Oaknorth more than trebles profits The scheme, which is run by government-backed Tech Nation, [...]
Thames Water unveils £1bn tech investment in bid to boost efficiency March 26, 2019 Thames Water has unveiled plans to invest £1bn in new technology for its water and waste operations in a bid to boost efficiency by 20 per cent. The investment, which will be rolled out over the next six years, will help boost the utility company’s data management for a range of issues such as fixing [...]
Ex-Uber boss Travis Kalanick’s new venture snaps up UK ‘dark kitchens’ business March 26, 2019 The food delivery company run by Travis Kalanick snapped up London ‘dark kitchens’ firm Foodstars last year, as the former Uber boss looks to expand his new venture in the UK. City Storage Systems, which trades as Cloud Kitchens in the US, quietly bought the startup up last year, according to documents filed to Companies House. [...]
Spotify makes latest podcast acquisition as it looks to cash in on true crime March 26, 2019 Spotify has snapped up its third podcast company of the year as it looks to double down on the format amid a boom in on-demand listening. The Swedish streaming service today said it had acquired Parcast, a podcast studio specialising in true crime series. Read more: Apple hits back at Spotify in App Store war [...]
Adobe and Microsoft team up to take on Salesforce’s marketing software March 26, 2019 Adobe and Microsoft are teaming up to strengthen their sales and marketing software offerings in a bid to take on rival Salesforce. The firms will partner to help users of Adobe’s marketing software identify potential customers on Linkedin, which is owned by Microsoft, the companies said today. Read more: Adobe invests £63.5m in UK as [...]
Tech firms slam ‘simplistic’ copyright reforms passed by European Parliament March 26, 2019 Tech firms have launched an attack on new copyright rules voted through by the European Parliament today, saying they could damage both competition and freedom of expression. Tech UK, which represents more than 900 tech companies across the country, slammed the new regulations, describing them as “simplistic solutions to complex problems”. Read more: European Parliament [...]
Mortgage finance firm Lendinvest taps three banks for £500m London float March 25, 2019 Online property finance marketplace Lendinvest has chosen three banks to lead its planned £500m float on the London Stock Exchange this year. It is understood Lendinvest, which provides funding for property investors, developers and landlords, has tapped Goldman Sachs and Barclays as joint global coordinators. Read more: Mortgage finance hub Lendinvest targets £500m London listing [...]
Sports Direct mulls cash offer for Debenhams as Ashley looks to seize control March 25, 2019 Sports Direct has said it is considering a bid for Debenhams just hours after owner Mike Ashley branded the troubled department store’s rescue plan “unworkable”. The retail tycoon’s firm said in a statement after close this evening it was weighing up an offer for the firm “alongside other options”. It said the bid would likely [...]
