What’s in the Cheesegrater? From Aon to Amlin, here’s a storey-by-storey breakdown of every business in the Leadenhall Building July 17, 2015 It may not be London's biggest building – but the Leadenhall Building, aka the Cheesegrater, still remains one of the tallest skyscrapers in the Square Mile, towering over its neighbours the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie. The 225 metre building's characteristic tapered design was created to preserve views of St Paul's Cathedral. Ever [...]
Why London must retain its lead as the world’s number one retail destination July 16, 2015 One thing underpins Britain’s economic recovery more than anything else: the resilience and potential of London’s economy. While the capital’s financial sector was first to feel the pain nearly a decade ago, London has also led the UK’s economic fightback – attracting global investment, growing employment and pushing up living standards. We are the world’s [...]
Burberry share price hit by slower trade in Hong Kong July 15, 2015 British fashion brand Burberry hopes to head off deceleration in the Hong Kong market with a variety of cost-reducing moves, including possible job cuts and downsizing. The company reported an eight per cent uplift in retail revenue to £407m in the first quarter of 2015. Shares in the group were down by 2.59 [...]
Apple Pay: How does it work and is it any quicker? A guide for the new contactless payment system July 15, 2015 Apple Pay has finally arrived in the UK. Well, sort of. If you have the right iPhone and the right bank and you shop in the right place and if the sun is shining at just the right angle – then you can use Apple Pay (okay, we made the bit about the sun up). [...]
5 the war on cash July 15, 2015 Transport With apps like Uber, cashless buses and contactless payments on the Tube, public transport is practically a note-free zone already. The London Underground has had NFC technology since the introduction of the Oyster card, which means it’s Apple Pay ready. Retail Many high street retailers have jumped onto the contactless bandwagon in recent years, [...]
Blockchain boss Eddy Travia on Coinsilium’s IPO: Why I chose to float a FinTech business in London July 15, 2015 Whilst the bitcoin price may have stolen some headlines during the Greece negotiations it is the underlying technology, blockchain, that is really making waves across the financial world. Last year $330m (around £211m) flowed into bitcoin and blockchain companies, and in the first half of 2015 $373m was invested into the same space, bringing the [...]
Apple Pay comes to the UK – but will it change your life? July 14, 2015 Apple Pay has made its debut in the UK with a strangely secretive launch from a company known for its high profile events. It’s a clever piece of technology that enables people to use the iPhone 6 and new Apple Watch in the same way as a contactless debit card, simply tapping it on an [...]
Global markets breathe sigh of relief as Greek deal is reached July 13, 2015 World equity prices rallied yesterday as investors welcomed a conditional agreement to negotiations aimed at keeping Greece afloat with a bailout and to stay within the Eurozone. European equities surged almost two per cent while Wall Street jumped more than one per cent after Eurozone leaders made Greece surrender much of its sovereignty to outside [...]
Shanks launches green bonds listing July 13, 2015 UK WASTE management company Shanks yesterday opened trading at the London Stock Exchange, to mark its “green bonds” being the first retail offering to be listed on the bourse’s green market. To be classed as green bonds, they have to demonstrate that the proceeds will be invested in environmentally beneficial projects.
Hotel Chocolat co-founder Angus Thirlwell on how he built a chocolate empire July 12, 2015 Europe is awash with chocolatiers and the British consumer is spoilt for choice. So the idea that someone could set up a chocolate company with £10,000 and take it from startup to a market-conquering beast in just a decade seems a little far fetched. But that is what Angus Thirlwell and his business partner Peter [...]