All eyes will be on Morrisons’ interim results this week to see if the strategy of CEO David Potts has delivered September 13, 2016 WM Morrison is on a mission to be leaner and meaner. Under CEO David Potts, 'in' have come aggressive price cuts while 'out' are a series of ill-fated ventures including a minority stake in US online grocery business Fresh Direct and M-Local, a hastily assembled collection of convenience stores. Potts has turned his focus to the [...]
Driverless cars could spell disruption for unprepared insurers as motor insurance premiums fall September 11, 2016 INSURERS need to prepare for the potential disruption – and opportunities – arising from driverless cars according to Aon Benfield, the global reinsurance intermediary of insurance giant Aon. “Adoption of autonomous vehicles will of course be affected by many variables such as regulatory challenges, cost to the consumer, safety, vehicle ownership preferences, and the technology [...]
Start up Ideal Flatmate will find you a perfect match using an algorithm based on research by some Cambridge boffins September 8, 2016 Start up Ideal Flatmate is to take on Gumtree and SpareRoom with a new flatsharing website that uses an algorithm to match flatmates on the grounds of personal compatibility. Launched this week, it gives equal priority to the lifestyle and living habits of the people concerned as to the location or look of the property. [...]
The big business class-only problem: Why high-end services like La Compagnie don’t take off in Britain September 7, 2016 Sir Richard Branson’s trademark “devil may care” attitude is evident when he talks about founding Virgin Atlantic. He has said: “In the ’80s my gut feeling was that airlines were crap. I hated spending time on planes. I thought we could create the kind of airline I’d like. So we got a secondhand 747 and [...]
Leave the buy to let market alone, Britain needs more landlords September 6, 2016 Twenty years since buy to let took off, landlords are now a crucial part of Britain’s housing ecosystem. The private rented sector, accounting for around one in five properties, provides much-needed homes for those people who are not ready to buy or do not want to purchase a property. However, the sector sometimes comes in for stick, [...]
City Giving Day: 200 firms set to celebrate CSR schemes with Lord Mayor September 5, 2016 In the run up to City Giving Day on 27 September, the Lord Mayor, Alderman Jeffrey the Lord Mountevans, hosted a breakfast at the Mansion House for more than 80 businesses who have signed up to this year’s campaign. With over 200 companies taking part on the day itself, the guests last Friday were rallied [...]
Sadiq Khan made big promises on becoming London mayor, he now needs to deliver tangible results for Londoners September 1, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan is undoubtedly a strong campaigning politician. It scooped him the top slot in City Hall after all. However, Khan runs the risk of seeming detached from the needs of Londoners. Some companies that deal with him say he appears disengaged and point to his love of photo opportunities and a schedule [...]
Social networking app Yubl seeks new funds as it prepares to expand into Europe August 31, 2016 A LONDON-based social networking app that connects groups of people is aiming to raise up to £20m in venture capital as it gears up for expansion into Europe. Yubl, which combines a mixture of messaging, photo sharing and graphics, launched in the UK in February. The firm has 150,000 active monthly users, mostly age 18 [...]
Dithering on airport capacity is choking British businesses, Theresa May needs to take urgent action August 30, 2016 The decision on whether to construct a new runway in the south east of England has been parked for too long. That cannot remain the case for much longer – a lack of airport capacity in the south east is acting a major constraint upon business and economic growth. Business leaders have become increasingly exasperated [...]
Forget baby boomers and millennials, it’s Generation X that’s shaping the fate of companies in Europe August 26, 2016 Sandwiched between the headline-grabbing millennials and baby boomers, Generation X is sometimes overlooked. But according to Hugo Scott-Gall of Goldman Sachs Research, understanding what drives the decisions of the group born between 1965 and 1980 is essential, not least because the cohort has hit its peak spending power and accounts for over 25 per cent [...]
