Coincidence? Retailers’ profit margins have been squeezed since Black Friday hit UK shores, KPMG reveals November 24, 2017 The Black Friday phenomenon seems to be sticking around in the UK, as more and more retailers have extended offers on both sides of the big day. But there could be a darker side to the shopaholic frenzy, according to KPMG. Data compiled by the accountancy firm has found that profit margins of the UK’s [...]
And…We’re Live! November 24, 2017 After a lot of hard work (but thankfully not too much blood and tears), today we announced the public launch of the appScatter platform. Head over and take a look – we’d love to hear your thoughts! For the last year or so we’ve been adding interested parties to a waitlist. Those patient souls will [...]
Facebook’s giant solar drone Aquila is going on display for the first time in London at a new V&A exhibition | City A.M. November 23, 2017 Londoners will be able to get a real life glimpse of one of Facebook’s most ambitious projects to date – a giant solar-powered drone – as it goes on display for the very first time. The aircraft which Facebook believes can bring internet access to remote regions around the world, will form part of a [...]
Annual portfolio review pointers your adviser ought to embrace November 23, 2017 With the holiday season drawing near, the end of 2017 is close at hand. To many investors, this is a sign that it’s time to review portfolios and potentially rejig for the new year. From a professional’s perspective, this is welcome. It is refreshing to have investors engaged in discussing portfolio returns. But to make [...]
Budget 2017 UK: Philip Hammond targets tech giants Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook on tax avoidance to raise £200m a year November 22, 2017 The chancellor has put tech firms firmly in his sights, announcing a change to the way online businesses are taxed from which he hopes to boost the government’s coffers by £200m. Philip Hammond said he will introduce a “tax on royalties” that means companies will have to pay tax on royalty payments that are made [...]
EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager threatens Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook with tax reform November 21, 2017 Europe’s fierce enforcer of competition rules is threatening tech giants with tough new rules on tax if politicians fail to come to an agreement on changes to the current system. Efforts to amend rules that would apply tax more fairly to firms which largely operate online such as Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook, have been [...]
Carrier billing startup to float on Aim to raise £45m November 20, 2017 Boku, a company that enables mobile phone billing for goods bought online, is floating on the London Stock Exchange today. The firm has embarked on an IPO to raise £45m, and will have a market capitalisation of £125m when it floats on Alternative Investment Market (Aim). The company allows mobile phone users to buy goods [...]
Spotify buys Soundtrap, a Stockholm-based music startup November 17, 2017 Spotify has bought Stockholm-based music startup Soundtrap, it said today. The music streaming giant’s new acquisition allows users to create music online using a web-based production studio similar to Apple’s Garageband software. Today Spotify said Soundtrap was “highly aligned with Spotify’s vision of democratizing the music ecosystem”. Read more: Finally getting back together: Taylor Swift [...]
Spotify’s the latest tech giant to invest in London November 16, 2017 Spotify is the latest tech company to commit to London after Brexit with fresh expansion plans. The streaming giant which is expected to soon go public, will double its current 200 staff in the UK over the next two years with a major focus on research and development. The capital will become a “major hub” [...]
iPhone X review: A decade after the release of the first phone, Apple hasn’t lost its Midas touch November 16, 2017 The iPhone X is the biggest reinvention of the iPhone since… well, the iPhone. Apple is hardly shy when it comes to boasting about a new handset – every year Tim Cook takes to the stage and breathily exalts whatever happens to be in his hand as “the best phone we’ve ever made” – but [...]