OurCrowd’s Jon Medved gives his tips for crowdfunding investors July 14, 2016 Israel deserves its moniker “startup nation”. There are 3,000 tech-related startups based in and around Tel Aviv alone, and over $6bn flows into the country each year through exits, according to the IVC Research Centre. And this makes it ripe for the picking for equity crowdfunding and VC firms looking for strong deal flow to [...]
Yoga brand lululemon is opening a flagship store on Regent Street July 13, 2016 Yoga apparel retailer lululemon is opening a 8,200 sq ft store in Regent Street. The store at 187-189 Regent Street will be the European flagship for the Canadian lifestyle brand, and lululemon is letting the space from The Crown Estate, which owns all of Regent Street and much of St James's. Read more: Music trade body moves into [...]
Playtech plays ball with rival Best Gaming Technology July 13, 2016 Playtech has taken a punt on rival operator Best Gaming Technology (BGT) as it strives to digitise. Playtech said today that it had bought 90 per cent of BGT for €138m (£114.8m), with the option to buy the firm's remaining shares at a later date. It comes eight months after firm, which was founded by Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, was [...]
Magazine Marie Claire is opening a beauty shop in Tottenham Court Walk July 13, 2016 Women's monthly Marie Claire is opening a beauty shop in central London, using its magazine brand to make a mark on the UK high street. Marie Claire is teaming up with Ocacdo – which will provide delivery for online orders – to create and online and physical retail business, "Fabled by Marie Clare". The flagship store in Tottenham [...]
Pay row: M&S accused of threatening to sack staff who reject new contracts July 12, 2016 Marks & Spencer has become embroiled in a dispute over staff pay as it grapples with a sales slide in its clothing division. Chief executive Steve Rowe told shareholders at yesterday's AGM that the retailer faces "tough decisions" in the coming months. M&S is consulting staff over the axing of premium pay on Sundays, and cuts [...]
Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open July 12, 2016 Major US markets are on a tear hitting record highs and the UK blue-chip index is in bull market territory. Here's what you need to know before the US market open at 2:30pm London time. It seems nothing can stop the equity ball rolling now, with futures pointing yet higher ahead of the open. The [...]
City Moves for 12 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 12, 2016 UBS UBS has appointed Chris Gibson-Smith vice chairman of corporate client solutions, EMEA.Chris brings to UBS more than 40 years' experience across a wide range of sectors including oil, aviation and banking. He has nearly 30 years’ cumulative FTSE 100 main board experience, 20 of which in the role of chairman. Most notably, Chris [...]
UK vote fails to float Europe’s IPO boat July 7, 2016 The EU referendum has been blamed for slowing flotation activity levels across Europe in a new report. Mergermarket tracked 77 initial public offerings (IPOs), with €11.6bn (£9.9bn) raised, across the continent during the first six months of the year. This was down from 115 floats, which raised €27.1bn, in the first half of 2015. Read [...]
Amazon will plough ahead with UK data centres plan despite Brexit July 7, 2016 Amazon has said it remains committed to the UK and will continue with plans to build new data centres in the country after the Brexit vote. Speaking at its annual summit in London, Amazon Web Services (AWS) UK boss Gavin Jackson reassured thousands of attendees, including executives from British clients, that the country’s decision to [...]
City Moves for 7 July 2016 | Who’s switching jobs July 7, 2016 Marsh Insurance broker Marsh has appointed Jeremy Cooke as vice chairman of global placement. In his new role, Jeremy will focus on critical growth areas including complex market negotiations on facilities, quota shares and key accounts. He was previously head of placement for Marsh’s international division. Prior to joining Marsh in 2003, he held senior executive positions at insurers in the US and [...]