Sterling sinks after ‘simply shocking’ UK manufacturing data September 2, 2019 Sterling plummeted against the euro and the dollar in response to weak UK manufacturing data as economists warned “there is no clarity whatsoever” surround Brexit. Markets panicked as figures showed output from the UK manufacturing sector sank to a seven-year low in August, sending the pound down against major currencies. Read more: UK manufacturing output [...]
Activists quieter in first half of the year as political uncertainty hits September 2, 2019 European businesses could breathe a sigh of relief as activist investors opened fewer campaigns in the first half of 2019. The number of demands made by activists in Europe was more than 14 per cent lower over the period compared to last year, according to figures from Activistmonitor. Read more: Just Eat faces pressure as [...]
Restaurant sector gloom takes a slice out of Pizza Express profit August 28, 2019 Pizza Express has fallen victim to the gloom which has enveloped the casual dining sector, with first half profits shrinking. The company blamed a drop in earnings of nearly one-tenth on “industry-wide cost pressures” in its key home market. Pizza Express, founded in 1965, runs 480 restaurants across Britain and 148 abroad in Asia and [...]
How the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was designed and the future of football grounds August 27, 2019 The third of April 2019 was a big day for Christopher Lee. After months of delays, speculation and criticism the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium officially opened its doors, with Spurs facing Crystal Palace in the Premier League. For the stadium’s project director it was the culmination of eight years of hard work – a chance for [...]
Robot delivery service Starship Technologies targets students in $40m raise August 20, 2019 Starship Technologies, a US tech firm headed by former Airbnb exec Lex Bayer, has raised $40m (£33.1m) in a series A funding round. The investment was led by Morpheus Ventures with participation from Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners, Metaplanet Holdings, TDK Ventures, Qu Ventures and others. Starship’s autonomous robot delivery fleet operates in cities across the [...]
What to do about staff skipping work for the beach August 20, 2019 We’ve heard it all before: “my cat is having kittens”, “I’ve hurt my back”, “I’ve got food poisoning”, “my bathtub fell through my ceiling”, or “my car broke down”. When the sun is out, employees might feel inclined to use one of these excuses in order to skip work and do something a little more [...]
Retailers ramp up challenges to business rates as high street woes deepen August 18, 2019 The number of businesses challenging their rates bill has soared over the last quarter as retailers continue to feel the squeeze from tough conditions on the high street. Roughly 4,000 challenges were made in the first quarter this year, a 65 per cent increase on the previous three months, according to figures from City law [...]
Octopus buys wealth management fintech Seccl for £10m August 15, 2019 Financial services and energy firm Octopus has agreed to purchase Seccl, a wealth management technology startup, as it seeks to move into the investment platform technology market. Octopus will pay £10m for Seccl, a Bath-based firm that helps businesses build investment platforms using flexible software designed to reduce the administrative and cost burden of the [...]
Just Eat backer leads $11m raise for City fintech August 15, 2019 Prolific tech investor Index Ventures has led an $11m (£9.2m) series A round for London fintech firm Flatfair. Other participating investors included Onefinestay founder Greg Marsh, former Savills boss Jeremy Helsby, Transferwise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus, Revolt Ventures and Adevinta. Index has previously backed the likes of Facebook, Skype and Just Eat, among others. Flatfair allows [...]
The Weekly Grill: The Mantl’s Serdar Demir talks about microwaving eggs and the temperature of ice cream August 13, 2019 Who are you and what do you do? My name is Serdar Demir and I’m an entrepreneur mainly involved in restaurants and property. The Mantl is a new restaurant concept that focuses on traditional Turkish cuisine with a twist. It involves traditional cooking over hot coals to prepare modern Turkish cuisine that’s designed to share. [...]