Made.com reveals £40m in fresh funding to boost European business March 18, 2018 High-end design brand Made.com has raised £40m of equity funding which it says will be used to fuel expansion into new European markets and boost its online presence. The funding round includes commitments from existing investors Partech Ventures, Level Equity and Eight Roads Ventures as well as a new, unnamed, "tier one global institutional investor". [...]
Swingers crazy golf opens second site in former BHS on Oxford Street March 16, 2018 The former flagship site of collapsed retailer BHS on Oxford Street has gained another tenant in the form of crazy golf operator Swingers. The building is already host to Reserved, Poland's answer to H&M opened on the ground floor of the site last year. It will now be joined by Swingers on the first floor, [...]
How a new ‘CEO’ can singlehandedly transform a brand March 16, 2018 THIS WEEK MARKS the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ inauguration. To Catholics, he is a divisive figure. Right-leaning Catholics have taken exception to his aggressive criticism of unbridled capitalism, which he called ‘the dung of the devil’. In 2014, Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, actually wrote a column in the Wall Street [...]
SimplyBiz is set to float for £130m on the Aim market of the London Stock Exchange March 16, 2018 The SimplyBiz Group, which provides compliance and business services to financial advisers, had announced it will float in London next month for £130m. As the UK’s largest compliance services provider, SimplyBiz is expecting to raise £30m when it floats on 4 April. Selling shareholders – mainly Ken Davy, Life President of Huddersfield Town FC, and [...]
London beats New York as top real estate investment destination for Norway’s massive sovereign wealth fund March 13, 2018 London has overtaken New York as the top real estate investment spot for Norway's massive $1 trillion (£715bn) sovereign wealth fund. The fund, which is one of the biggest investors in the UK and co-owns Regent Street, bought almost £200m worth of London property last year in partnership with the Queen's Crown Estate. These included [...]
AJ Bell lines up £500m London float and appoints Numis, KPMG and Pinsent Masons as advisers March 11, 2018 Broker and investment platform operator AJ Bell has appointed advisers to explore an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange which is expected to value the company at £500m. The float would include a retail share offer available exclusively to AJ Bell’s customers and is set to take place in late 2018 or [...]
Broker AJ Bell aiming for £500m London IPO March 11, 2018 Broker and investment platform operator AJ Bell has appointed advisers to explore an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange which is expected to value the company at £500m. The float would include a retail share offer available exclusively to AJ Bell’s customers and is set to take place in late 2018 or [...]
Last Week in the City: Trump signs order for tariffs March 9, 2018 This week US President Donald Trump signed off on new tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, Trinity Mirror revealed plans to rebrand, and the European Central Bank took a further step towards ending stimulus measures. The FTSE 100 rose 1.9 per cent over the week by mid-session on Friday. Economics China will pursue annual growth [...]
Matches Fashion founder Ruth Chapman and Severn Trent CEO Liv Garfield named as nominees of Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award March 8, 2018 The founder of Matches Fashion and the boss of Severn Trent have been named as the two nominees for the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award. Finalists Ruth Chapman and Liv Garfield were announced today to coincide with International Women’s Day. Christine Hodgson, member of the judging panel and chairman of Capgemini said: “Both women are [...]
Will one of these 26 companies joining Tech City’s Future Fifty become the new Zoopla or Just Eat? March 7, 2018 An AI-driven cybersecurity company, a fashion industry analytics business and a tech-based language teaching company are among the 26 UK startups that have been identified as potential future tech stars. Darktrace, Featurespace and Firefly are among the companies joining companies such as SpitfireAudio, Thread and Superawesome on Tech City’s Future Fifty programme. Future Fifty alumni [...]