Unilever acquires Horlicks brand in India in £397m deal April 1, 2020 Consumer goods giant Unilever has today completed the acquisition of Horlicks and other Glaxosmithkline brands in a £397m deal. The deal will allow Unilever to use the Horlicks brand rights and other GSK Consumer Healthcare nutrition brands in predominantly Asian markets. The company’s listed subsidiary in India, Hindustan Unilever Limited (Hul) also announced today that [...]
UK becomes biggest donor in race to find coronavirus vaccine March 26, 2020 The UK is now the biggest donor toward finding a coronavirus vaccine, after Boris Johnson pledged a further £210m in a call between G20 leaders today. Johnson also announced £40m of funding for developing affordable treatments, £23m on research for new testing devices, and £50m on a joint advertising campaign with Unilever to explain the [...]
How important is work-life balance to employees? March 16, 2020 Employers who want to attract more job applicants – particularly younger ones – should talk about their work-life balance policies when recruiting, suggests research by Shainaz Firfiray. Dr Firfiray’s experimental study involving 189 MBA students aged between 26 and 40 found that people were more likely to apply for a job that promised flexibility than [...]
Twitter bans ‘non-critical’ business travel over coronavirus fears March 2, 2020 Twitter has rolled out a ban on all “non-critical” business travel and events as the social media firm ramps up its health precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a blog post published yesterday, Twitter’s chief HR officer Jennifer Christie said the company had informed staff of the new measures at the end of last week. [...]
Is the future of the Big Six advertising agencies under threat? March 2, 2020 Navel-gazing about the future is becoming increasingly fashionable in adland. The last few years have been tricky for the industry, as profits have faltered and clients have demanded more and more of the major players. It has led to concerns that the Big Six, the marketing giants which have dominated the sector for the last [...]
Keep calm and drink Yorkshire Tea until the Twitter storm blows over February 27, 2020 Another day, another Twitter pile-on. This time, the warriors of social justice turned their ire on homely hot-drink merchants Yorkshire Tea. Their equally voluble online opponents rallied to its defence. Why? Because Yorkshire Tea had the temerity to be, unbeknownst to them, our new chancellor’s choice of brew. Or, more precisely, the drink selected by [...]
The EIS-y hall of fame: Four companies that wouldn’t have existed without the Enterprise Investment Scheme February 26, 2020 While EIS and SEIS offer meaningful tax advantages to investors, it’s important to remember that their main function is to help kickstart new businesses and ventures. As the independent trade body for the EIS and SEIS industry, our core aim at the EIS Association is to help small and medium-sized enterprises obtain the funding that [...]
Everything old is new again: Stakeholder capitalism is back February 24, 2020 Russ Lidstone, Chief Executive Officer of The Creative Engagement Group, argues that businesses and leaders must embrace “stakeholder capitalism” Mark it down: 2020 could be the start of more than just the new decade. For the first time since 1973, the World Economic Forum has updated its Davos Manifesto to re-emphasise businesses’ commitment to the [...]
Coronavirus outbreak: Sportswear giants Puma and Adidas warn on trading impact February 19, 2020 German sportswear giants Puma and Adidas have warned that the outbreak of coronavirus in China has hurt trading due to the temporary closure of stores and a drop in footfall. Puma said the outbreak will impact sales and profits in the first quarter of the year, after it was forced to shutter more than half [...]
Wilkinson Sword owner Edgewell abandons $1.4bn Harry’s merger February 10, 2020 Razor maker Edgewell – the owner of Wilkinson Sword – has abandoned plans for a $1.37bn merger with rival firm Harry’s following opposition from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Earlier this month, the FTC filed a lawsuit to block the deal, saying it could hurt competition in the US. Privately owned Harry’s will pursue [...]