The gig economy won’t be killed off so easily November 22, 2016 The gig economy in the US has reached its peak – at least that's according to JP Morgan's latest research. Some are suggesting recent legal action could sound the death knell of the UK gig economy – but in my view, these concerns are misplaced and underestimate the demand for innovative, tech-enabled services. Moves by [...]
Minicab drivers are staging an anti-Uber protest in Westminster November 22, 2016 A fresh anti-Uber protest has hit the capital, aimed at piling more pressure on the Mayor of London to "take action" against the startup. Minicab drivers are staging a protest from Edgware Road, past Transport for London's offices in Victoria and which arrives at Westminster at 2.30pm. Members of drivers union United Private Hire Drivers (UPHD) are calling on Sadiq [...]
Interiors: Two big trends are dominating Christmas homeware – contemporary and cosy – what will you choose? November 18, 2016 Contemporary The depths of winter always benefit from a little razzle-dazzle, which is one reason we like to put on the glitz for the party season. And this year it's true of our homes, too. Trailblazer Tom Dixon adopted metallics as a signature look many moons ago and his copper Melt pendant lights, as seen [...]
The number of London workers with daily commutes of two hours or more is up by nearly a fifth November 18, 2016 You haven't imagined it: long commutes in the capital are increasing. The number of employees having to suffer through daily commutes of two hours or more has gone up nearly a fifth (17.2 per cent) over the past five years, according to new analysis from the Trades Union Congress (TUC). In 2015, 930,612 London workers had daily [...]
Airbnb wants to sort out your entire travel itinerary way beyond home rental November 17, 2016 Airbnb wants to arrange your entire trip for you, not just find you a place to stay. The startup has set out ambitious plans to expand beyond simply being a holiday home rental platform, to turn itself into the go-to app for people's entire holidays with the addition of local trips, meetups, restaurant bookings and more. [...]
Gett has quietly switched up its leadership in Europe November 16, 2016 On-demand taxi service Gett has quietly switched up its leadership in Europe following a huge investment from car maker Volkswagen. Remo Gerber, managing director for Europe, has left his role at the Uber-rival and Gett's recently appointed chief operating officer of western Europe, Matteo de Renzi, has been promoted to chief executive of western Europe. It comes as [...]
Deliveroo teams up with Heineken to create new booze delivery brand November 16, 2016 Deliveroo has announced a new partnership with Heineken which will see the two launch a new brand, Brew House, through which customers will be able to order beer and cider directly to their homes. Brew House launches in London today, and will be rolled out across the rest of the UK by the end of this year, [...]
We’ve hit peak gig economy, according to JP Morgan November 15, 2016 The number of people racing to make money from driving an Uber, offering their services on TaskRabbit or renting out a spare room on Airbnb has peaked, according to one top investment bank. Growth in the number of people participating in the gig economy has slowed and is now plateauing, new research from JP Morgan has [...]
Amazon Restaurants’ food delivery expands to more London locations November 15, 2016 Tech giant Amazon is ramping up its battle with Deliveroo and UberEats, extending its food delivery service to more locations in London. Amazon Restaurant has added more than 20 new areas to the list of locations it delivers food to, from restaurants such as Strada and Pod. Read more: Black Friday: Four pairs of wireless [...]
These 15 UK smart city startups are heading on a trade mission to Barcelona November 14, 2016 City Hall will seek to reassure business and investors abroad that London is open for business after the Brexit vote when top startups head on a trade mission to Barcelona. Some 15 of the top startups creating technology that seeks to make cities smarter and more connected, as well as solving problems such as pollution, population and [...]