Follow the money: Brexiter Tories stuff their war chests ahead of leadership election May 10, 2019 The one thing that is always guaranteed to raise eyebrows in British politics – not least since the scandal that rocked this country exactly ten years ago – is MPs’ finances. Amid a greater focus on transparency, Commons members must declare money they earn outside of their salary as an elected representative. For some, this could be [...]
Hedge Fund Rich List: Bluecrest Capital Management’s Michael Platt named the City’s richest hedge fund manager May 10, 2019 Bluecrest Capital Management co-founder Michael Platt has been named the City’s richest hedge fund manager for the fifth year running with a fortune of £3.7bn. Preston-born Platt, who started investing aged 14 with £500 of shares given as a birthday gift by his Grandmother, saw his wealth increased by £700m over the course of 2018 putting him [...]
Insurer Hiscox grows premiums as London market rates improve May 7, 2019 Insurer Hiscox grew gross written premiums in the first three months of the year as rates improved in the London market. The Lloyd's of London insurer said gross written premiums grew 3.3. per cent in constant currency to $1.164bn (£890m) in the first quarter. Read more: German insurer Allianz close to deal for L&G's general insurance [...]
Small businesses to be given artificial intelligence boost May 7, 2019 London may be the artificial intelligence (AI) capital of Europe, but City Hall believes the benefits of AI are failing to trickle down to small businesses. The mayor Sadiq Khan will give 200 small businesses in London a share of £200,000 to enhance their use of AI. “London is a leading hub for innovation in [...]
Payment startup Thunes closes $10m Series A funding round May 6, 2019 Emerging economies payment start-up Thunes has completed a $10m (£7.64m) Series A funding round led by Alibaba and Airbnb investor GGV Capital. The funding will be used to expand Singapore-headquartered Thunes across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Read more: Buy now, pay later, budget better – Laybuy is shaking up the retail sector Thunes will also add [...]
City Moves for 3 May – Who’s switching jobs at Ikea, EIP and McLarens? May 3, 2019 Today's City Moves includes Ikea, EIP and McLarens. Ikea Ikea has announced the appointment of Peter Jelkeby as country retail manager with responsibility for the UK and Ireland. Taking over from Javier Quinones, who joins Ikea USA as country retail manager, Peter will continue to strengthen Ikea’s position as the number one home furnishing retailer [...]
West End landlord Shaftesbury braced for court row with tycoon shareholder May 2, 2019 A bitter row between a major London landlord and one of its largest shareholders has descended into threats of legal action this morning. FTSE 250 property giant Shaftesbury Group, which owns large parts of the West End including much of Carnaby Street and Chinatown, is braced for a court battle with Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee [...]
Here’s why Boohoo shares are climbing higher May 2, 2019 By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Stock markets are struggling on boohoo's results day, but the retailer is defying the gloom. Fast fashion is back in vogue on the London market, with well-received results from Boohoo adding to euphoria over a spectacular 2019 for shares in AIM-listed rival ASOS (LSE:ASC). Their recent turnaround follows an [...]
Sainsbury’s slips behind supermarket rivals after Asda merger blocked April 30, 2019 Sainsbury's sales fell behind those of rivals in the three months to the end of April, according to data released just a week after the supermarket's £7.3bn Asda merger was blocked. Sainsbury’s suffered a 1.2 per cent fall in sales compared to the same period last year, data group Kantar's statistics showed, while Aldi and Lidl [...]
Use your local post office or lose it to the long list of high street casualties April 30, 2019 Owning and operating a post office couldn’t be any harder. The ongoing high street decline and the difficult retail environment over the past 12 months have hit subpostmasters hard, and it has never been tougher to make ends meet. We recently conducted a national survey of our membership, and found that more than one in five [...]