Mark Hix on the pitfalls of modern technology, from unfortunate autocorrect errors to drug deals gone wrong November 1, 2017 When I first moved to London 30-odd years ago – yes, that long! – communication was limited to land lines, phone boxes and fax. As crude as that sounds now, it was a straightforward, near fool-proof way of getting in touch with people, bar the odd food order being accidentally left on the voicemail of [...]
Restaurant sector faces risk of thousands of insolvencies as Brexit bites October 30, 2017 A fifth of Britain’s restaurants are showing signs they could go bust, according to research released today. Almost 15,000 eateries are facing a real insolvency threat as rising staff costs and the fall out of Brexit put a strain on the sector. Over half of all food is imported, with three-quarters coming from the EU. [...]
Hiver beers founder Hannah Rhodes is turning bees to money October 23, 2017 Even the most hardened City hack might consider turning down the offer of a drink at 11am. But for you, City A.M. readers, this reporter went the extra mile. The Bermondsey Beer Mile, that is. I’m here to meet Hannah Rhodes, founder of Hiver beers. Following a decade in the drinks industry, including a spell [...]
Holiday Homes in Porto, Portugal: We scout out the bargains October 20, 2017 The snaking queues of tourists outside Porto’s 19th century Livraria Lello bookstore are not people seeking a good read. They’re tourists wanting to glimpse the second floor café where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone while raising her daughter and teaching English in the City. Potter fans believe the shop’s spiral art [...]
Just Eat’s Hungryhouse takeover is nearly good to go as competition watchdog gives provisional clearance October 12, 2017 The competition watchdog has provisionally paved the way for Just Eat to gobble up Hungryhouse, saying the merger does not raise concerns. Shares in Just Eat rose nearly five per cent in morning trading as investors chewed over the good news. Just Eat paid £200m for Hungryhouse, which it bought from Delivery Hero, back in [...]
The London underground: How the underground music zines of the 1960s helped to define the counterculture | City A.M. October 4, 2017 Although I grew up in London with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Joan Bakewell, the day I discovered the underground press, to use the vernacular of the day, “blew my mind”. Since 1975, I’ve collected printed materials associated with the British underground press, an anarchic phenomenon that provides a fascinating alternative history of the [...]
Irn Bru and Rubicon maker A.G. Barr bubbles up on back of sugar-free options September 26, 2017 A.G. Barr, the maker of Irn Bru and Rubicon, grew revenues during the first half of the year through the popularity of no-sugar alternatives to its most popular drinks. The figures Revenue climbed 8.8 per cent to £136.6m. Profit before tax grew slower, increasing 2.9 per cent to £17.5m. This was partly due to higher [...]
These are the world’s 50 most valuable brands of 2017 September 25, 2017 Apple and Google have once again take the two top spots in a list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Five UK firms made into into the 2017 best global brands list. These were Burberry, HSBC, Land Rover, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. This is the fifth consecutive [...]
Apple, Google and Microsoft top list of the 100 most valuable brands September 25, 2017 Apple and Google have once again take the two top spots in a list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Five UK firms made into into the 2017 best global brands list. These were Burberry, HSBC, Land Rover, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. This is the fifth consecutive [...]
Deliveroo set to become unicorn with $385m investment September 23, 2017 Deliveroo has secured $385m (£285.3m) in new funding from two US firms. Stateside investors Fidelity and T. Rowe Price have agreed to put money into the UK-based start-up as part of a deal which values the company at over $2bn (£1.48bn), according to Sky News. The investment means rumours of a Deliveroo IPO are likely [...]