Johnson Service Group eyes up more acquisitions off back of strong balance sheet March 4, 2019 Laundry company Johnson Service Group plans to continue a series of acquisitions which helped the firm grow profits through 2018. The services group’s shares rose slightly on Monday as it announced a strong balance sheet, following the buyout of South West Laundry in August. Read more: Londoners: Now there’s an "Uber for laundry" The figures [...]
Perched at the top of Courchevel 1850, the ski resort of L’Apogee boasts Michelin stars, Himalayan salt saunas and five-star skiing March 4, 2019 It’s time to join the Russian oligarchs and ladies-who-lunch (on €250 truffle risotto) in the French Alps’ most-exclusive resort, Courchevel. This is a long weekend skiing done right – hundreds of kilometres of piste, ski-in-ski-out hotel accommodation and beyond-5-star luxury in the snow-clad epicentre of 5-star luxury. The stay: Perched at the top of Courchevel [...]
Uber cars stock children’s books to boost bedtime reading for World Book Day March 4, 2019 Long known for getting time-poor commuters from A to B, Uber today launched a scheme to help London parents get home in time to read bedtime stories to their children. The ride-hailing company has teamed up with Penguin Random House imprint Puffin and the National Literacy Trust to launch a “mobile libraries” programme ahead of World Book Day, on [...]
What Anthony Scaramucci did next March 4, 2019 After a brief and calamitous stint in the White House catapulted him to international fame, Anthony Scaramucci is back at SkyBridge Capital, the hedge fund he founded in 2005, he has revealed in an interview with Opto magazine. For a brief period in July 2017, Anthony Scaramucci found himself at the centre of American politics. [...]
Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou can be extradited, Canada says March 2, 2019 Canada will allow Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou to be extradited to the US but the court must make a final decision. Meng was arrested in December by Canadian officials at the request of the US. She is wanted to stand trial on charges that include fraud after allegations she violated sanctions on Iran. Read more: New [...]
Lyft files for IPO ahead of rival Uber in listing that could value it at $25bn March 1, 2019 Ride-hailing company Lyft filed its initial public offering (IPO) registration today ahead of rival Uber in the race to hit the public markets. Lyft filed with an initial offering size of $100m (£75.62m), which is usually just a placeholder amount used to calculate fees that could change. The company did not disclose the price it plans to list at [...]
Snoop Dogg-endorsed fintech Klarna issues shares in £82m fundraising round March 1, 2019 Online payments firm Klarna has issued shares in a bid to raise 1bn Swedish krona (£82m) from existing investors, and said it will launch a larger external fundraising round later in the year. The Swedish fintech company, which in January welcomed a $2.5bn from none other than rapper Snoop Dogg, acquired a Swedish banking license [...]
Fedex creates Segway-inspired delivery robot with Pizza Hut and Walmart February 28, 2019 Fedex has unveiled a pizza delivery robot that will hit the streets this summer. Read more: What’s on your tech radar for 2019? Pizza Hut and Walmart are both on board, with trials set to begin soon in cities across the US, including in Fedex’s hometown of Memphis. The autonomous bot, which is powered by an [...]
How VCTs can be used to build the next ARM in the UK February 27, 2019 When Venture Capital Trusts were launched in 1995, their purpose was simple: enable SMEs to raise risk equity finance. It’s easy to see why. In 2018, small businesses made up 99.3 per cent of the private sector in the UK and 60 per cent of all private sector jobs. SMEs play an important role in the economy, [...]
Tech startups remain private for longer leading to high valuation IPO pipeline February 26, 2019 Technology startup companies are choosing to remain private for longer due to the availability of capital from private equity and venture capital investors, creating a pipeline of high-value listings expected this year. The median age of venture capital backed technology companies at the time of IPO has risen from 10.9 years in 2018 from 7.9 [...]