Shrimps, Farfetch, Lyst, Emilia Wickstead and Roksanda are some of the companies to benefit from growing venture capital interest in the London fashion scene December 15, 2015 London's fashion scene has caught the eye of the venture capitalists. A number of Vogue favourites, from faux-fur designer Shrimps, to catwalk darlings Emilia Wickstead and Roksanda, all received seed or venture level funding in 2015, according to venture capital data provider Beauhurst. Wickstead’s three-year-old business received £1.57m investment in July in return for a [...]
Carpetright shares rally as half-year profits jump by a third December 15, 2015 Shares in Carpetright leapt this morning as the floorings and beds specialist revealed a 34 per cent rise in underlying pre-tax profits in the first half of the year. The retailer said efforts to win over my customers through its revamped website, stores and better product ranges were bearing fruit, with group revenue rising by 1.4 per cent to £231.2m, and [...]
Amazon pulls hoverboards from sale over safety fears December 14, 2015 Amazon has reportedly pulled hoverboards from sale on its site, over safety concerns. The online retailer has asked sellers of the gadget to prove they conform with safety standards in a bid to weed out fakes which could be dangerous, the Verge reported. A search on Amazon UK shows there are none for sale, only accessories. Amazon had not responded [...]
Fielding expertise: WeFarm founder Kenny Ewan on mangoes, peer reviews, and foot and mouth December 14, 2015 Look on the We Farm home page, and you’ll see a feed of questions like, “please, I need a reason as to why my coffee leaves are changing into yellow”. Answer: “It’s mainly due to lack of nitrogen. Foliar spray with a good foliar fertiliser like Omex will help clear this.” Or, “what is the [...]
High street suffers Black Friday blues as footfall slumps in November December 14, 2015 UK high streets suffered a massive slump in footfall in November as shoppers abandoned the high street in favour of bagging a Black Friday bargain online. The number of visitors making shopping trips to their local high streets, retail parks and shopping centres fell by 2.1 per cent year-on-year. This was significantly below the 0.2 per cent fall [...]
Waitrose targets 1,500 new jobs as part of store expansion plans December 13, 2015 Waitrose is ramping up its expansion with plans to launch 14 stores from the spring of next year, creating 1,500 jobs. The upmarket grocer said the new openings will include five supermarkets in towns such as Truro in Cornwall and Worcester in the Midlands. They also comprise of nine new little Waitrose convenience shops, one of [...]
Cashless Britain: Mobile payments are transforming our society – cash could be obsolete in the UK by 2020 December 13, 2015 A woman waves her watch at the automated barrier to gain entry to the train. When she exits she will do the same and her fee will be automatically calculated. Apart from the one-time set-up of her account, she has nothing else to do. No ticket to order, no card to carry, no ticket to [...]
Shopping in London: This weekend is going to be the busiest day in the West End for Christmas present buying December 11, 2015 Planning to go shopping in London this weekend? You're not the only one. In fact, retailers in the West End are preparing themselves for the busiest Christmas gift-buying weekend of the year. Shoppers are expected to spend £120m in the next two days – comparable to the £200m spent over the three days of Black [...]
Focus On London Bridge: Why house prices are on the rise next to The Shard December 11, 2015 Children in nursery may sing about London Bridge falling down, but in property circles, it’s building up and the sky’s the limit. The area first became a part of London’s fabric due to its famously crumbly bridge, which was built by the Romans and was the first to cross the Thames. It was originally made [...]
As Apple’s iPhone 6S lands will mobile payments change the way we live? December 11, 2015 Today’s smartphones can do incredible things. Need a ride around London? Just tap the Uber app. Fresh flowers or food from a local restaurant delivered straight to your door? Try Bloom & Wild or Deliveroo. These apps are fantastic, but there's a new smartphone feature set to fundamentally revolutionise the high street and how [...]