AO World revenue surges as customers continue online shopping post-lockdown August 20, 2020 Online electrical retailer AO World said today its revenue surged in the months during and after the easing of coronavirus lockdowns as demand for its products and services was sustained even after its rivals reopened stores in July. The company said year-on-year revenue in the UK jumped 58.9 per cent to £401.3m and 91.5 per [...]
The City View: Xavier Rees of Havas London on the value of creative ideas in the office August 20, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS Today Andy Silvester is joined by Havas London CEO Xavier Rees. The ad land boss offers his thoughts on the return to work, the value of creative ideas in the office, and why he’s changed the company’s articles of association to become a “B Corp”. Andy also looks at [...]
US stocks open higher as Wall Street eyes more records August 19, 2020 Wall Street opened higher on Wednesday and looks to be heading for another day of new all-time records. The S&P 500 closed at an all-time high yesterday after recovering all of the losses suffered during the coronavirus crash and was up once again on Wednesday morning by a further 0.28 per cent to 3,399 points. [...]
UK firms cut more than 106,000 jobs amid coronavirus pandemic August 19, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has battered the UK economy since it arrived in early 2020 – and no sector has remained unscathed, with more than 100,000 job cuts planned during the pandemic. The government’s furlough scheme has allowed millions of people to keep getting a paycheck, but fears are growing that when this is phased out [...]
UK rail fares set to increase by 1.6 per cent in January despite pandemic August 19, 2020 UK rail fares are set to increase by 1.6 per cent in January, adding more than £100 to many annual season tickets to London, after an unexpected rise in a controversial measure of inflation. Official figures published today showed that retail price index (PRI) inflation rose by 1.6 per cent in July year on year. [...]
The City View: Beyoncé’s former manager on why classic hits are a hot asset class August 18, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In this episode Christian talks to music industry veteran Merck Mercuriadis, a former manager of acts including Elton John and Beyoncé whose FTSE-listed investment firm has just hit a £1bn market cap after snapping up the rights to hits including Livin’ on a Prayer, Back to Black, Uptown Funk, Single Ladies and Don’t Stop Believing. [...]
London advocacy groups call for Waterloo and City Tube line to reopen August 17, 2020 London lobby groups have called for the reopening of the Waterloo and City Tube line to help increase the number of people going back to their offices. The shuttle service – which travels between Bank and Waterloo stations – is the only Tube line still not operating, after Transport for London (TfL) restricted public transport [...]
The City View: City A.M. co-founder Lawson Muncaster on returning the newspaper to print August 17, 2020 Subscribe to The City View Podcast: Apple / Google / Spotify / RSS In this episode Christian is joined by Lawson Muncaster, co-founder and managing director of City A.M., to discuss the challenges posed by the last five months and the decision to return to print for Monday 7 September. Lawson discusses how the company adapted to survive; what life could look [...]
Markets live: US stocks slip as retail sales miss target while FTSE 100 slumps August 14, 2020 Wall Street opened lower after disappointing US retail data while the FTSE 100 languished in the red as the UK’s decision to add France to its quarantine list weighed down travel stocks. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 slipped in early trading on Wall Street, but recovered to tick up 0.11 per cent and 0.01 [...]
Why investors should pay attention to sugar August 14, 2020 Government action to promote healthy eating, especially in light of the spread of Covid-19, and ongoing changes in consumer tastes will continue to create headwinds for the food and beverage industry, and increasingly for food retailers and hospitality companies too. We’ve known for decades that obesity puts people at greater risk of serious and life-threatening [...]