DriveTribe co-founders Richard Hammond and Ernesto Schmitt talk dating, driverless cars and excluding Jeremy Clarkson from music ventures February 13, 2017 How would you transition from celebrity to business magnate? If you’ve already done well in life, one option is to wind down. This is not, however, the option Richard Hammond and sidekicks James May and Jeremy Clarkson are going for. In case they didn’t have enough to do launching Amazon’s The Grand Tour, they’ve also [...]
Small businesses at sea over Brexit as the weak pound causes headaches February 13, 2017 Theresa May has not triggered Article 50 yet, but the uncertainty stirred up by Brexit, and the weak pound, are already weighing on small and medium-sized businesses. According to accountancy firm Moore Stephens, the fall in sterling in the wake of the Brexit vote on 23 June has been a key problem for businesses, with [...]
Boden appoints Tesco veteran as new CEO February 12, 2017 British clothing brand Boden has appointed Jill Easterbrook as its new CEO. Easterbrook formerly worked at Tesco for 15 years, holding at different times the roles of chief customer officer, group business transformation director and managing director of clothing. She left the company in 2016 and has been a non-executive director at Auto Trader since [...]
End of days: Waitrose is closing six of its stores February 9, 2017 Is this the end of the middle classes as we know them? Waitrose is planning to close six stores, putting 500 jobs at risks, it has been reported. The supermarket, beloved of the chattering classes, has begun consulting with staff at six locations in Hertford, Staines, Leek, Huntingdon, Cardiff and Palmers Green (although the latter [...]
Retailers look further afield to tackle lettuce crisis after vegetable shortage hits supermarkets February 8, 2017 The lettuce crisis (yes it has really been called that) has taken hold to such an extent that retailers are frantically searching for other options. The UK relies on a range of growers across southern Europe for its veg stocks in the winter, but some extreme weather has meant extremely bare supermarket shelves after the harvest [...]
Lettuce panic: Now supermarkets are rationing iceberg lettuce and broccoli February 3, 2017 Planning on stocking up on vegetables for your next weekly shop? Hopefully you don't need more than three iceberg lettuces – because Tesco has now rationed customers per visit, due to poor growing conditions in Europe causing a shortage in stores. Signs have been sent to all Tesco stores to notify customers, apologising for any inconvenience. [...]
Scientists have explained why noisy eating makes some people angry February 3, 2017 Does listening to someone eat a bag of crisps make you angry? Does the guy sitting next to you on the Tube with a whistling nose fill you with rage? Scientists have discovered that not only do you have a real condition – why it happens in the first place. Misophonia is the name given [...]
“You just have to get on with things”: UK dealmaking is off to its best start to a year since 2008 February 2, 2017 UK dealmakers have had a flying beginning to the year, with 2017 marking the best annual start for British mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity since 2008. After Reckitt Benckiser’s offer for Mead Johnson Nutrition, the total value of deals involving UK parties so far this year has reached $34.9bn (£27.8bn), according to Thomson Reuters. Read [...]
Tesco Bank’s chief exec says lenders don’t pay customers enough interest on current accounts February 2, 2017 The boss of Tesco Bank has hit out at high street rivals, claiming they make billions of pounds by skimping on the rate of interest paid to customers. Benny Higgins, who led the lender through a mammoth cyber attack on Tesco Bank last November, said the amount of switching between providers remains "stubbornly low", something lenders [...]
Here’s how analysts are reacting to Reckitt Benckiser’s move to acquire Mead Johnson February 2, 2017 Just as analysts were digesting the news that Tesco and Booker Group are merging, Reckitt Beckiser (RB) has revealed that it is in talks to snap up US group Mead Johnson. The deal values Mead Johnson – which manufactures baby milk – at $16.7bn. Mike van Dulken of Accendo Markets said RB was making the move to access the [...]