The rise of young Asia: how millennials are transforming a region November 6, 2017 There seems to be a growing view that Asia has a problem with ageing. It is certainly true that maturing populations will soon be putting pressure on workforces in countries like China, Korea and Taiwan. But, this misses the point: there is a huge shift of economic power to a growing and increasingly wealthy Asian [...]
Billionaire Hollywood bad boy Alki David is resurrecting the dead with holograms | City A.M. November 6, 2017 There’s a rather bonkers Russian chap named Dmitry Itskov who claims that by the year 2045 his team of scientists will have achieved human immortality by uploading brains onto a computer. That’s a little way off, though. In the meantime, if Frankenstein’s monster meeting Blade Runner doesn’t tickle your fancy, one can achieve a rather [...]
UK chancellor Philip Hammond poised to reduce burden of business rates in Autumn Budget | City A.M. November 5, 2017 The chancellor could be set to alleviate the burden of business rates in his upcoming Autumn Budget by reducing an increase in the tax due in April next year. The 2018 rise in business rates is currently pegged to the retail prices index, meaning firms face a £1.1bn hike in property taxes. Business groups have [...]
The AIMperor’s new clothes: Sosandar and Footasylum notch up share price rises after IPOs November 2, 2017 Two clothing retailers entered London’s junior market today, with shares in both jumping during their first day of trading. Footasylum, the sportswear retailer which is the branchild of JD Sports co-founders John Wardle and David Makin, debuted on the market with a price of 164p per share. They hit a high of 207p and closed [...]
Open Banking and PSD2 are a boon to banks, not a burden October 30, 2017 The EU’S second payment services directive (PSD2), set to come into force next year, will require banks to share current account information with third parties through APIs — providing the customer gives consent. This will allow new companies to innovate with an important data source, giving the market a much-needed competition boost. While these innovations [...]
Restaurant sector faces risk of thousands of insolvencies as Brexit bites October 30, 2017 A fifth of Britain’s restaurants are showing signs they could go bust, according to research released today. Almost 15,000 eateries are facing a real insolvency threat as rising staff costs and the fall out of Brexit put a strain on the sector. Over half of all food is imported, with three-quarters coming from the EU. [...]
Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye calls London airport ‘a critical national asset’ as profits and revenues rise October 26, 2017 Heathrow’s boss said today it had become “a critical national asset” as London’s biggest airport posted rising revenues and profits for the nine months ended 30 September. The results come in the same week the government reopened a consultation into Heathrow expansion for the public to view fresh evidence. Read more: London airports will be [...]
Mayor-backed London venture capital fund has helped create 700 jobs across the capital October 26, 2017 Five years on from when MMC Ventures established its London-focused fund, the venture capital firm has revealed it has pumped more than £100m into businesses and helped create over 700 jobs. The MMC London Fund has invested money into 19 London startups, including short-term retail let marketplace Appear Here, home ingredient delivery service Gousto, and [...]
Why you need to know who Bucherer are October 25, 2017 The Watch Gallery becomes Bucherer. I am delighted to bring our 130 year old brand to London. This city represents heritage like no other, yet at the same time it is at the centre of so many exciting new ideas that spread to the wider world. Jörg G Bucherer, owner and third generation of the [...]
UK house prices: This has been the best October for property price growth since 2014, says Rightmove October 16, 2017 The UK’s house prices have risen by 1.1 per cent in October, the highest month-on-month rise rise for any October since 2014. But that isn’t translating into sales, according to a closely-watched index. The Rightmove house price index, which measures the prices of homes put on the market, said the average property price has risen [...]