A bad start to the year for Sainsbury’s, Anglo American, Aberdeen Asset Management and Burberry, who top the list of most shorted shares of 2016 January 5, 2016 Sainsbury's yesterday revealed it had made an approach to takeover Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Homebase, in a bid to reverse its faltering fortunes. The report came as the extent of the Big Four supermarket’s woes were laid bare by new data revealing that its shares were the most shorted on the [...]
Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Sainsbury’s: What to expect from the supermarket sector’s Christmas results January 5, 2016 Supermarkets were going for broke this Christmas, after a poor year of trading for the likes of Tesco, Morrisons and Asda, with Sainsbury's the only one of the Big Four in growth in the run-up to the festive period. But with challengers Lidl and Aldi stealing market share from the price conscious, while Marks & Spencer and [...]
Flickr and Slack founder Stewart Butterfield on starting one of the fastest growing startups ever January 4, 2016 "I lived in Cambridge in the late 1990s, and even then they were working on Silicon Fen,” says Stewart Butterfield. We’re talking about replicating Silicon Valley because, as the founder of Flickr and now team collaboration tool Slack, he’s well placed to comment. And it’s not that he’s picking on Cambridge; the point is that [...]
Ocado share price tumbles and Amazon’s Pantry grocery delivery is to blame December 30, 2015 Shares in upmarket online grocery delivery company Ocado took a hammering in morning trading after news Amazon is expanding its fresh produce service, Pantry, pegging the retail giant as a serious contender in the already highly competitive food delivery market. Shares were down as much as 7.9 per cent on Wednesday, touching a 12 month intraday low of 299p per share, making a [...]
As Tesco’s share price drops to an 18-year low, it’s clear the rollercoaster ride will continue for some time yet December 10, 2015 Tesco has turned back time this week, with its share price dropping to an 18-year low. The less said about what was going on in 1997 the better – instead, we turn our focus to the rollercoaster ride that is the UK's largest retailer. Dave Lewis has certainly ushered in some change, but given where Tesco's [...]
FTSE 100 hoping for festive cheer to follow European Central Bank’s Mario Draghi – London Report December 6, 2015 Following widespread market disappointment last week after the European Central Bank came in at below expectations with its interest rates and monetary easing policy, this week the big macro-economic numbers to look out for are coming from China We’ll get the country’s trade balance and then consumer price inflation figures tomorrow. Back here in Britain [...]
Organic coffee company Cru Kafe turns to Seedrs to raise £300,000 in crowdfunding campaign to “stabilise its working capital” November 24, 2015 Ethical coffee brand Cru Kafe is looking to raise £300,000 in an equity fundraiser on crowdfunding site Seedrs. In exchange for 5.76 per cent of the company's stock, the Cru Kafe, which makes organic, Fairtrade coffee capsules for espresso machines, is looking for cash to help grow its business. Co-founder and chief executive Colin Pyle told City A.M. the [...]
Now Lidl’s getting into the online grocery delivery business after Amazon Fresh’s UK debut and Aldi’s plans, taking on Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons November 24, 2015 Fresh from Amazon's launch into the highly competitive grocery delivery game with Pantry, is fellow supermarket disrupter Lidl about to follow suit? The German discounter, which is already giving the big four a run for their money in bricks and mortar, has snapped up a fresh food delivery startup in its home country. Kochzaube, which delivers fresh [...]
Where can I use Apple Pay in the UK? The A-Z of shops, restaurants and apps which will accept mobile payment with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus November 17, 2015 Apple launched its mobile payment service, Apple Pay, in the UK in its first mobile payment move beyond the US, capitalising on the boom in mobile and contactless payments among consumers. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users can now pay with just the tap of a smartphone, or Apple Watch, across the high street and [...]
Skype founders take on 24-hour delivery market with launch of self-driving robot November 2, 2015 Forget delivery vans or even using your legs to walk to the shops for that matter. The founders of Skype plan to shake-up the grocery delivery market with a fleet of self-driving robots that will be able to drop groceries on your doorstep within 30 minutes. Starship Technologies, founded by Skype’s Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, has [...]