HSBC’s ringfence relief but HQ could still move November 2, 2015 Concerns that HSBC could lose control of its UK retail arm under ring-fencing rules have been “satisfactorily” dealt with according to the bank’s chief executive. New regulations to take effect in 2019 requiring banks to “ring-fence” their high street operations had caused the bank to worry it would have no say over the capital, dividends, [...]
We need a campaign for Living Costs – not for a Living Wage – to really help the poorest November 2, 2015 It's “Living Wage Week”. For seven days, the Living Wage Foundation’s campaign for employers to pay workers at least £8.25 per hour (or £9.40 in London) receives almost wall-to-wall coverage. Campaigners line up to tell us raising pay to this level is good for business as well as employees. Many large firms, most of [...]
As it pushes back a decision on its domicile, would HSBC be better off moving its headquarters out of London? November 2, 2015 Darius McDermott, managing director at Chelsea Financial Services, says Yes HSBC gets 70 per cent of its revenue from Asia and, given it expects to get most of its future growth from this region, it seems common sense that the bank should be based there. On top of this, the UK political environment remains hostile [...]
Christmas adverts: John Lewis, Sainsburys, Burberry & Marks and Spencer beaten by Universal for most shared festive ad of all time November 2, 2015 It's that time of year already. John Lewis is poised to unveil its Christmas advert on Friday (8am if you're really keen) and once again will be launching in on social media first, followed by a grand pushing out to TV audiences at the weekend. It has become an iconic start to the festive period, [...]
HSBC share price down sinks despite smashes expectations and shrugging off China slowdown – but no news on headquarters move November 2, 2015 HSBC has beaten expectations for profits in the third quarter, shrugging off the slowdown in China. The figures The UK’s biggest bank reported a jump in pre-tax profit to $6.1bn (£3.95bn) for the third quarter, from $4.6bn during the same period last year. This outstripped most analysts’ expectations, which hovered around $5.2bn. Revenues, however, fell four per cent year-on-year, [...]
The right trousers: Tom Cridland on Leonardo DiCaprio, swine flu and the importance of startup loans in the developing world November 2, 2015 Working alone isn’t an issue for Tom Cridland, founder of the eponymous fashion label. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Some people love the office vibe, but I’d just get distracted. Just me and my laptop is fine.” The 25 year-old opened Tom Cridland in January 2014. Starting with just a £6,000 government startup loan [...]
City Moves for 02 November 2015 | Who’s switching jobs November 2, 2015 LINKEDIN John Herlihy has been appointed vice president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at the professional network. He joins from Google, where he was vice president of SMB sales and head of Google Ireland. Prior to that, Herlihy held leadership positions at tech companies in Europe and the United States. [...]
Italy’s Franklin & Marshall to launch its second London store November 2, 2015 Vintage Italian sports retailer Franklin & Marshall is to open its second UK store in Wembley Park’s London Designer Outlet (LDO) next month after launching its debut store in Covent Garden last year. The company, known for its varsity jackets and vintage polo shirts, announced today that it will open a 1,301 square feet outlet [...]
Pinpointing the potential of geolocation strategies November 1, 2015 Location-based targeting has become a real asset for mobile marketers. Unlike on desktop, cookies have never been a reliable way of tracking and optimising mobile campaigns. Dependent on the device itself, the environment and how the user splits their usage between the mobile web and apps, marketers have relied on log-ins, app software development kits [...]
Harrods cuts dividend by over 30 per cent despite rise in profits October 30, 2015 Harrods, the landmark London department store, cut its dividend payment by more than 30 per cent this year after a fall in turnover caused by 'tough trading conditions'. The retailer's financial accounts reveal although profits edged up 4.2 per cent, investors will receive a reduced dividend payment of £103m, a 31.3 per cent drop from last year's £150m record payout. Read [...]