Interiors: Victorian dandy and perfumer Atkinsons returns to Burlington Arcade and we get an early preview of its 19th century-inspired decor November 24, 2017 On the black marble bar the bottles of pale and amber liquid are neatly lined up in a row. I inhale the powerful aromas one at a time like a fine wine or rare whisky. This bar, however, doesn’t serve booze, it’s the centrepiece of the new Atkinsons fragrance shop in Burlington Arcade and the [...]
What will innovation look like in 2018? Bird & Bird’s Digital Innovators tell us all about the year ahead November 24, 2017 In a year when quantum computing made major leaps forward and using your face as a password became a reality, you’d be forgiven for being hard pushed to imagine just how much further technology can take us. But 2018 will certainly be a year for driving even more innovation for the 50 up-and-coming companies chosen [...]
Autumn Budget 2017: Chancellor Philip Hammond’s speech in full November 22, 2017 You can read the chancellor's Budget speech in full here: Mr Deputy Speaker I report today on an economy that continues to grow, continues to create more jobs than ever before and continues to confound those who seek to talk it down. An economy set on a path to a new relationship with our European [...]
New Bond Street overtakes Champs Élysées to become Europe’s most expensive shopping street November 15, 2017 London’s New Bond Street has overtaken the Champs Élysées to become the most expensive place in Europe for retailers to have a store. With a price of $1,720 (£1,305) per square foot per year, New Bond Street is the third most expensive shopping hotspot in the world, after Upper 5th Avenue in New York and [...]
The jobs, they are a changin’: What’s happening to the finance industry? November 10, 2017 No matter where your career stands, you can always count on one thing—the investment industry is constantly changing. Worldwide trends are converging to transform the prospects for investment professionals. Consolidation among firms is leading to cuts. Fintech is disrupting the industry. The global talent market is evolving in different ways from region to region. Experts [...]
Builders and headhunters under financial pressure as insolvencies edge up – but there could be hope for retailers November 10, 2017 The number of firms collapsing into administration rose in the third quarter, according to notices filed with the Britain’s official public record. Analysis of the London Gazette revealed some 302 companies appointed administrators during the third quarter, up from 297 in the second quarter and 295 in the same period 12 months ago. The steady [...]
How Richard Thaler’s theories can help investors November 8, 2017 The thinking of professor Richard Thaler, an expert in behavioural finance, can help you become a better investor, so we were delighted to see him awarded a Nobel Prize in economic sciences. Firstly, his views should matter to you as a citizen. He developed the theory of “nudge”, where rules, structures or incentives are subtly [...]
SSE confirms agreement of merger with Npower as it reveals drop in profits November 8, 2017 Energy firm SSE today confirmed it has agreed the first steps of a proposed merger with German-owned Npower to form a new UK gas and electricity business. The FTSE 100-listed firm said yesterday that it was in talks with its rival, owned by Germany's Innogy. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange this morning, [...]
The Foschini Group buys fashion brand Hobbs as 3i exits November 7, 2017 Hobbs, the British high street fashion retailer known for being a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge, has found a new owner in the form of South African retailer The Foschini Group (TFG). Hobbs chief executive Meg Lustman said this would help the brand to become "truly successful". "With TFG’s existing experience managing desirable brands, [...]
Former Lloyds head was aware HBOS could be nationalised but denies government pressured for a takeover November 6, 2017 Lloyds TSB’s former chief executive Eric Daniels took to the witness stand to deny that the bank had been pressured to take over HBOS at the height of the financial crisis. Daniels is the most senior executive to take to the witness stand, in an ongoing £550m trial which has seen around 6,000 shareholders attempt [...]