Amazon to close its online store in China after failing to gain a foothold April 18, 2019 Amazon is set to close its online in store in China after failing to gain a real foothold in the country where JD.com and Alibaba reign supreme. The e-commerce giant will shut its operations in China down from 18 July, it announced today. Read more: Unilever shares rise on first quarter sales growth Rivals JD.com [...]
ii winter portfolios extend outperformance in March April 17, 2019 There are fewer star performers in this year's Aggressive Winter Portfolio – that was until March when no less than three of the five constituents each gained around 8%. Ignore Mark Twain and Benjamin Disraeli, statistics demonstrate that some stocks do far better during the winter months than others. And the stats are backed up [...]
Carlsberg promotes negative tweets about its own beer as it finally agrees with drinkers April 17, 2019 Drinkers have “moved on” from mainstream lager, Carlsberg admitted today after promoting a series of negative tweets about its much-despised drink. The brewer has admit it is probably not the best beer in the world, in sharp contrast to its famous marketing campaign. Read more: Carlsberg sparks intrigue with Twitter marketing campaign Instead it launched [...]
US pressure to ban Huawei from 5G infrastructure ‘belittles’ national security April 16, 2019 The US government’s campaign to ban Huawei from 5G networks “belittles national security”, the firm’s cyber security boss has said. Huawei senior vice president John Suffolk accused the US of using national security as an excuse to stifle competition from China. Suffolk brushed off allegations that Huawei’s equipment could be used for spying, insisting the [...]
Crypto AM shines its Spotlight on Arteïa April 16, 2019 At $63bn and counting, the international art market is certainly not insignificant. Big-brand names such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s host blockbuster sales around the world selling precious works of fine art. In 2017 it’s believed the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia paid more than $450m for Salvator Mundi, a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. Although [...]
Alibaba co-founder defends controversial 12-hour working days and calls overtime a ‘huge blessing’ April 15, 2019 Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma sparked controversy this afternoon after defending the 12-hour working day. Read more: Ecommerce billionaire named China's richest man The billionaire tycoon, who has a personal wealth estimated at roughly $40bn (£30bn), has doubled down on his view in favour of the “996 system”, which refers to a working schedule of 9am [...]
Britain determined to avoid no-deal Brexit, Jeremy Hunt tells Japanese Prime Minister April 15, 2019 Jeremy Hunt reassured Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today that the government is determined to avoid crashing out of the European Union without a withdrawal deal. Read more: Jeremy Hunt warns Brexit paralysis could keep Britain in EU On a visit to the Japanese leader’s residence in Tokyo, the foreign secretary said: “We recognise that [...]
Retail and casual dining bounce back in March amid sunny spring weather April 15, 2019 Britain's pubs and restaurants cheered a recovery in trading last month, as warmer weather boosted the nation’s appetite for drinking and eating out. A bounceback from cold, snowy weather last year saw collective like-for-like sales in restaurants and pubs grow by nearly four per cent in March, new data released today by the Coffer Peach [...]
Activist investors turn their backs on troubled retailers April 15, 2019 While activist investors are known for their interest in underperforming businesses, there is one sector in the UK so troubled that even opportunistic shareholders are now turning their backs: high street retailers. Such are the difficulties facing Britain’s bricks-and-mortar retail giants that many have become "too distressed to attract activist interest", according to a new [...]
China is proving a tough market for western brands – here’s the common mistakes that companies keep making April 12, 2019 Last week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2019 growth forecast for the Chinese economy to 6.3 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent. For comparison, the UK economy is only expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year. It’s worth noting these figures, because they highlight why many brands in the UK and elsewhere [...]