Opposition to Mike Ashley builds ahead of Sports Direct meeting August 29, 2019 A third proxy adviser has today recommended shareholders attempt to oust Mike Ashley at the upcoming Sports Direct annual meeting due to concerns about a string of controversies at the FTSE 250 retailer. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) has joined advisory firms Glass Lewis and Pirc to recommend that investors vote against Ashley’s re-election as a [...]
Swedbank appoints new CEO after money-laundering allegations August 28, 2019 Swedbank has appointed a new chief executive as it attempts to rebuild confidence in the bank after it became embroiled in a money-laundering scandal. Jens Henriksson, the chief executive of insurance group Folksam, will take over from interim boss Anders Karlsson who stepped in after Birgette Bonnesen was dismissed earlier this year. Read more: Swedbank [...]
Goldman Sachs-backed broadband firm to buy rival from Talk Talk August 28, 2019 A broadband network backed by Goldman Sachs is in discussions to buy a Fibrenation, a venture established by Talk Talk. Cityfibre is among a small group of bidders in the running to take over the company, Sky News reported. Read more: Full fibre broadband will power our next industrial revolution Around three parties, including other [...]
Ruth Davidson to quit as Scottish Tory leader August 28, 2019 Ruth Davidson is planning to quit as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, according to reports. Davidson, who gave birth last year, is reportedly stepping down due to family pressures and over her disagreements with Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Read more: Ruth Davidson backs Michael Gove’s leadership bid A senior Tory source told the Scottish Sun [...]
Apple apologises for listening to Siri conversations August 28, 2019 Apple has apologised after it emerged the tech giant allowed contractors to listen to conversations customers had with its voice assistant Siri. Workers are hired to grade Siri’s responses on a variety of factors in order to help the technology “learn”, however, last month it was revealed that contractors regularly picked up recordings of private [...]
France nominates central bank deputy as EU Commissioner August 28, 2019 France has nominated central banker Sylvie Goulard as its candidate for European Union commissioner. Last month it was reported that France was eyeing a “strong economic portfolio” in the new Commission, such as trade or climate and energy policy. Read more: Notifications to EU Commission over unlawful tax breaks rocket Goulard is the deputy governor [...]
Franco Manca owner serves up revenue boost August 28, 2019 Franco Manca owner The Fulham Shore reported growing revenues as it continues to expand the pizza chain outside London. The restaurant chain has opened Franco Manca branches in Birmingham, Exeter, Leeds and Edinburgh in first half of the financial year as the group eyes opportunities outside of the capital. It also opened another London branch [...]
Consumer group warns shoppers could be ripped off by supermarket deals August 28, 2019 Shoppers are at risk of being ripped off, a consumer watchdog has warned, after an investigation uncovered misleading discounts and special offers at major UK supermarkets. The probe revealed that some supermarkets offer multi-buy deals that cost more, discounts that refer to a price that is not the most recent and offers in which items [...]
Ex-WH Smith boss Kate Swann appointed as Moonpig chair August 27, 2019 Former WH Smith boss Kate Swann, who transformed the stationary retailer during her ten-year stint as chief executive, is preparing to join greeting cards firm Moonpig. Swann, who stepped down as chief executive of catering firm SSP in May this year, has been appointed as chairman of the online company, which is owned by buyout [...]
Facebook libra: Could regulators crush Mark Zuckerberg’s dream cryptocurrency? August 27, 2019 Mark Zuckerberg’s decision this summer to launch a digital currency – Facebook libra – sparked the interest and concern of regulators around the world. Watchdogs have warned that without tight regulations libra could be used for money laundering and financing terrorism. They have also raised concerns over the potential risks it poses to data protection [...]
