Ted Baker upgrades London HQ to Gorgeous Brown Building in Fitzrovia July 23, 2021 Ted Baker has traded in its Ugly Brown Building headquarters after 20 years for what will be called the Gorgeous Brown Building in Fitzrovia. The lifestyle and fashion brand had previously owned the Ugly Brown Building in King’s Cross which was sold to British Airways Pension Trustees for £78.8m last year. Shares opened higher in [...]
Twitter beats revenue expectations after advertising revamp July 23, 2021 Twitter has reported better-than-expected revenue growth in its second quarter as the social media site reaped the rewards of an overhaul of its advertising service. The tech firm posted total revenue of $1.19bn in the three months to the end of June, up 74 per cent on the same period last year and ahead of [...]
Bankers, lawyers and advisers set to enjoy £300m in fees from Morrisons sale July 23, 2021 Over £300m in fees stands to be gained by those involved in the £6.3bn sale of Morrisons, documents have revealed according to a report. Shareholders in Morrisons will vote on a £6.3bn takeover bid from a trio of private investment groups led by SoftBank-owned Fortress on 16 August. If the deal goes ahead, private equity [...]
Draper Esprit floats to become largest tech VC on London’s main market July 23, 2021 UK venture capital firm Draper Esprit today announced it has made the jump from the AIM to London’s main market, with a market value of £1.4bn – the largest tech-only focused VC on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The move comes exactly a month after the firm announced its intention to make the leap and [...]
Ollie Phillips: I’m predicting a British and Irish Lions victory in the first Test – and the series – in South Africa July 23, 2021 I’m really intrigued by the upcoming British and Irish Lions Test series with South Africa, which starts this weekend. The Springboks are the world champions but have barely played together in the last 18 months because of Covid-19’s impact on sport. They are not totally wet behind the ears, of course, but any lack of [...]
The UK and France mulling Covid ‘wallet’ app for safe foreign travel July 23, 2021 The UK and France are in talks to roll out a digital “wallet” with all necessary Covid-19 documentation needed for safe foreign travel. The travel app seeks to end paper-based bureaucracy which adds another tally to the list of things to forget at home as a holiday-goer. Transport secretary Grant Shapps met with his French [...]
Hotel Chocolat raises £40m in bid to become ‘digital-led’ chocolatier July 23, 2021 Hotel Chocolat has raised £40m in its latest share placement, in what its boss said will help it become a ‘digital-led chocolate brand’. The British chocolatier’s placing, which was led by Peel Hunt and Liberum Capital, was oversubscribed. “The £40m growth capital raised today will be invested in our fast-growing business, furthering our aim of [...]
Pingdemic: Food workers added to self-isolation exemption list July 23, 2021 Key workers in the food industry have been added to the government’s self-isolation exemption list. Staff at supermarket depos and food manufacturers will be able to take daily tests and not need to self-isolate after being pinged by the NHS Covid-19 app if they test negative for Covid. The move comes as major British supermarkets [...]
Status quo anxiety: from Covid to foreign aid, we’re trapped by our desire to keep things the same July 23, 2021 Covid restrictions were relaxed this week, but it was far from universally supported. A group of academics wrote to the Lancet to condemn the move as a “dangerous and unethical experiment”. Some scientists warned that letting the virus run amok would create a fertile breeding ground for new variants and urged the government to once [...]
COVID-19 and the economic impact on UK businesses July 23, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic has left a lot of business struggling, but how bad is the overall outlook for them? We’ve spoken to Michelle Elliot CA, partner at FRP based in Glasgow, about whether we can expect a tsunami of insolvencies or if UK businesses are coping better than expected. Michelle is a Chartered Accountant and [...]
