By trolling Anthony Scaramucci, Trump has crossed a line August 12, 2019 When I woke up on Sunday, like a lot of entrepreneurs and people who work in the media, I reached for my smartphone to check Twitter (Mrs B was still asleep; I am an early riser). One story that caught my eye straight away was President Trump – where would Twitter be without him, or [...]
Southeastern among franchises placed on public takeover watch list August 11, 2019 The Southeastern franchise is one of six that could go the way of LNER and be taken over by the government as sources warned there was little time for a new operator to be appointed by April next year. The bidding competition for the Southeastern franchise, which runs services between London, Kent and parts of [...]
British Steel: Turkish military pension fund ‘planning nearly £1bn investment’ August 11, 2019 The Turkish military pension fund which hopes to buy stricken industrial firm British Steel is said to be gearing up to invest nearly £1bn in the company. Ataer Holding is a front runner out of a handful of potential buyers still being considered by the government’s Official Receiver (OR), which also includes industrial conglomerate Liberty [...]
SSE in talks to sell energy retail business to Ovo Energy August 11, 2019 Energy giant SSE is weighing up whether to hive off its 5.7m-customer energy retail business to independent supplier Ovo Energy, in a deal believed to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds. SSE’s energy services arm supplies electricity and gas to households across the UK. It also does maintenance work such as boiler repairs, meter-reading [...]
Facebook confirms ‘news tab’ launch in US as it offers newspapers $3m to reproduce content August 10, 2019 Facebook is set to launch a “news tab” in the US, confirming reports that it has been contacting media companies to license their stories. The social media giant has offered new executives up to $3m (£2.48m) a year to license their publications headlines and previews of articles a new tab, as reported by the Wall [...]
RBS to select Alison Rose to become first female chief executive August 10, 2019 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is set to pick Alison Rose to become its new chief executive. Rose will become the first woman to lead one of the UK’s biggest high street lenders and is likely to be named as Ross McEwan’s successor in the coming weeks, Sky News claim. Read more: Outgoing RBS [...]
Office set to close up to half its 100 UK stores August 9, 2019 Shoe retailer Office is planning to close up to half of UK stores at it reckons with the decline of business on the high street. The footwear chain is working on plans to close dozens of its 100 stores as their leases expire during the next few years, according to a report by Sky News. [...]
Anatomy of a modern football fan: The evolving trends and tastes of the Premier League’s global following August 8, 2019 Concept kits blurring the lines between football and fashion; freestylers and video gaming encouraging a new breed of young player; supporters following leagues and superstar players before teams; a hunger for more sophisticated and relevant punditry. It is fair to say that football and fandom is changing. And on the eve of a new Premier [...]
Scrapped: Guy Hands ‘pulls out of takeover plans’ for German Cartonplast August 8, 2019 Private equity magnate Guy Hands is said to have abandoned takeover plans for a European packaging business. His firm, Terra Firma Capital Partners, has withdrawn from negotiations to buy German packaging company Cartonplast, according to Sky News. The withdrawal raises questions about the ability of one of the most prominent British financiers to land fresh [...]
VAR in our time: A bluffer’s guide to how video assistant referees will and won’t be used in the Premier League August 8, 2019 A quiet business estate built on the site of a former rubbish tip in the furthermost fringes of west London could hardly feel more removed from the hustle, bustle and stardust of Premier League football. But it is here, at Stockley Park in Harlington, where the outcome of a new top-flight season will be shaped [...]