Parcel delivery service Yodel to create 7,000 jobs ahead of Black Friday 2015 and Christmas period October 13, 2015 Parcel carrier business Yodel today announced that it is to create 7,000 jobs across the UK, including 776 in London, ahead of the busy Christmas period. While the roles are seasonal positions for the peak period, the firm said many of the positions are expected to become permanent due to a number of new retailers joining [...]
London Living Wage: The best and worst boroughs for paying living wages October 12, 2015 Fewer jobs in London pay above the Living Wage than five years ago, but jobs in the capital are more likely to pay the wage than those outside. Between 2008 and 2010, jobs paying less than the £8.80 living wage in London accounted for 13 per cent of all jobs in the city. By 2014, [...]
Boris Johnson is heading on a trade trip to Japan to promote fintech and life science investment… and the Rugby World Cup October 11, 2015 The London mayor Boris Johnson is heading east to promote investment in the capital's fintech and life sciences sectors on a new trade trip to Japan. The out-going mayor is seeking to tie up new deals between the countries in tech innovation and life sciences, as well as retail, in a bid to increase the £950m pumped into the capital [...]
From London property and Tesco to Sports Direct and haunted houses: Here’s what got us talking this week October 9, 2015 It was a week in which plastic bags suddenly became the big new commodity, Google became free to be evil and somewhere lurking in your neighbourhood, proof of "ghost-free" houses became a thing. Here's what got us talking 1) We nailed the property conundrum We don't like to brag but we may have finally found the [...]
Amazon Fresh launches in London: Some postcodes now get one-hour chilled and frozen food deliveries through Prime Now October 8, 2015 Amazon is delivering fresh chilled and frozen food in selected London postcodes for the first time, testing out the waters for Amazon Fresh. A fresh pint of milk, tub of Ben and Jerry's or a packet of fish fingers for tea can be on some Londoners' doorsteps in less than 60 minutes with the new delivery service [...]
London needs help if it is to spawn more tech unicorns October 8, 2015 Russ Shaw’s piece in this section today rightly highlights London as a great place to be as far as retail technology is concerned – some of the most exciting startups in this space are emerging from the capital. Other sectors, such as fintech, are booming too. However, London doesn’t yet have a great track record when [...]
Tottenham , Dartmouth and Folkestone: These are Britain’s high street rising stars October 8, 2015 Tottenham has been crowned one of the country’s “rising stars” as part of a competition to find the best high streets in Britain. The gritty north London suburb, which has been trying to shake off its recent history of violence and riots, was one of 10 high streets that came runner-up after missing out on [...]
The next fintech? Why London can make unicorns a retail reality October 8, 2015 The future unicorns of the UK lie in London’s retail technology sector. This is according to a fifth of Tech London Advocates, in a study of the future growth drivers of London’s technology industry. The truth is, London already leads the world in terms of expertise and knowledge around retail technology. Retail technology is a sector [...]
Chuka Umunna: Tory mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith is a threat to London business October 7, 2015 Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna has launched a blistering attack on Zac Goldsmith, calling the Conservative candidate for mayor of London a “threat to London jobs and businesses”. Umunna, the Labour MP for Streatham who has endorsed Goldsmith's Labour opponent Sadiq Khan, said: “Londoners can’t afford a mayor who doesn’t get business, doesn’t like [...]
New businesses in London grew by 6.9 per cent last year October 6, 2015 Britain’s economy continues to grow as new figures show 89,000 new businesses opened between March 2015 and 2015 – a 3.8 per cent increase. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that the number of businesses in the UK, which it defines as having VAT or PAYE systems, has been picking up since the recession [...]