Exclusive: Shopify boss banks on big Black Friday as ‘last cheat meal’ before 2023 hiatus November 16, 2022 Shopify’s European chief says that despite the cost of living crisis, Brits are still planning to spend big this Black Friday, calling it the “last cheat meal before you start a really big diet”. In new data released today, the commerce firm revealed that although inflation was hitting hard, where 78 per cent of people [...]
UK loses over half a million work days to strikes and unions signal more to come November 15, 2022 The number of working days lost to strike action in the UK over the summer topped 560,000, stats out today reveal, and unions have warned this year’s total could hit the highest yearly number this century. The combined September and August figure is the highest two month total in over a decade, according to the [...]
Klarna amps up super-app aims with price comparison tool November 14, 2022 Klarna is looking to become an “assistant for each and every step of your shopping journey”, one of the fintech firm’s top bosses told CityA.M. today, as it ramps up efforts to become a ‘superapp’ with a new price comparison tool. The Swedish buy-now-pay-later firm has launched the search and compare tool in its Klarna [...]
Scorching inflation raises fears of Christmas spending slump November 8, 2022 Scorching inflation hobbling Brits’ finances has triggered a spending squeeze that could bleed into Christmas, research out today reveals. Surveys out from Barclaycard and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) show retail sales volumes likely fell in October. While the organisations measured a jump in consumer spending of 3.5 per cent and 1.6 per cent respectively, [...]
More trouble for Black Friday as DS Smith workers vote to strike November 7, 2022 Workers at packaging giant DS Smith voted in favour of strike action this afternoon, adding further pressure on the likes of Amazon in the run up to Christmas. The GMB union said that almost 1000 staff voted for action, adding that the move could have “serious implications” on household names like Amazon who rely on [...]
Strikes another blow to struggling City hospitality businesses November 7, 2022 Small business owners have said they are struggling to survive as postal workers are set to walk out and amid the looming threat of rail strikes. Matt Harris, 49, who runs wine bars Planet Of The Grapes and Fox Fine Wines in London, said that strike action is just “another dagger” for already struggling hospitality [...]
Exclusive: FCA threatens buy-now pay-later firms with jail time using financial promotion ‘loophole’ November 7, 2022 The City watchdog has written to buy-now pay-later chiefs warning they could face up to two years in jail if they fail to fall in line with financial promotion rules, as it uses a “loophole” to clampdown on the products despite not directly regulating them, City A.M. can reveal.
Bleak Friday? Retailers hit by spending slowdown as shoppers shun high street November 4, 2022 High street bosses are nervously awaiting Black Friday as retail sales volumes dropped dramatically last month. Sales volumes have dropped significantly, although this has been masked by historically high levels of inflation, data from accountancy firm BDO revealed today. In-store like-for-like sales saw the lowest growth since lockdown in February 2021, with growth of just [...]
Royal Mail Black Friday strikes could spell mayhem for the whole delivery ecosystem November 3, 2022 ROYAL Mail strikes could cause mayhem for Christmas shopping, with 115,000 posties taking to the picket line at the end of this month. In an announcement late on Tuesday, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) said that it was moving ahead with four further days of strike action, including Black Friday, the largest online shopping day [...]
England hang on in T20 World Cup but need to beat Sri Lanka November 1, 2022 England’s T20 cricket side kept alive their hopes of progressing through to the final four of the World Cup yesterday with a 20-run victory over New Zealand in Brisbane. Captain Jos Buttler impressed with the bat as England prevailed in a must-win match against the Black Caps to keep them in the competition. Heading into [...]