SoftBank-backed Indian Uber rival Ola tables plans for $1bn IPO August 31, 2021 Indian Uber rival Ola is reportedly sitting on plans to raise up to $1bn through an initial public offering (IPO), joining a long line of high-ranking floats in the country. Currently finalising banks to advise on the fund-raise, Softbank-backed Ola is in talks with Bank of America and JP Morgan, three people familiar with the [...]
Prosus to pay $4.7bn for rival Indian payments firm in largest buyout yet August 31, 2021 European technology giant Prosus has reportedly put forward $4.7bn for its largest ever deal, to buy Indian payments platform BillDesk, in yet another foreign investment in the country’s blossoming tech sector. BillDesk currently competes with Prosus’s payments firm PayU in India which means the deal will open up a fair portion of the growing payments [...]
Prices of Uber rides climb as app seeks more drivers August 30, 2021 Uber rides have become more costly for consumers as the app has struggled to recruit enough drivers to match increasing demand. The average cost of a journey via the ride-hailing platform has risen by a third since April, from £9 to around £12, according to figures from market research company Edison. While the number of [...]
Uber UK boss to meet GMB leader after driver representation deal August 26, 2021 Uber’s UK boss is due to meet with the new leader of the GMB union in a bid to settle their differences about the ride-hailing app’s working practices. Jamie Heywood, Uber’s UK regional manager, will meet with Gary Smith, months after the firm took the decision to recognise the union, the BBC said. Under that [...]
Just Eat to create 1,500 new jobs in Sunderland August 25, 2021 Just Eat has announced it will create more than 1,500 new customer service jobs in Sunderland as part of a £100m investment in the North East. The British food delivery giant said that recruitment for the roles is underway with 300 positions already filled. The multi-million pound investment will fund a 20,000 square meter workspace [...]
Chinese Uber rival Didi suspends UK launch amid data crackdown August 24, 2021 Ride hailing platform Didi has called off plans to launch in continental Europe including in UK cities. The firm is consulting with staff working on its Western Europe roll out on assigning roles and potential redundancies, according to reports from the BBC and The Telegraph. Plans to launch in London, Sheffield and Salford have been [...]
Workers of the world unite! How the post-pandemic recovery is increasing the bargaining power of labour August 23, 2021 More than 114 million people lost their jobs over 2020, according to the International Labor Organization. Even more saw their working hours and wages cut. The worst affected industries were accommodation and food services where global employment declined by over 20%, followed by retail. These sectors were particularly hard hit by lockdowns, forced closures and plummeting tourism. Women and younger workers were badly affected. You could be [...]
SoftBank ramps up exits to fund prolific Vision Fund dealmaking August 18, 2021 The Japanese investment giant sold around $14bn worth of listed stocks last quarter, marking a change in its exit-hesitant strategy in order to fund its Vision Fund’s accelerating investments in tech startups. SoftBank sold an estimated $14bn worth of listed stocks in the last quarter – almost triple that of the previous period, according to [...]
Just Eat posts revenue surge of 52 per cent but struggles to turn a profit in fight for market share August 17, 2021 Strong demand for food delivery amid the last of the Covid restrictions persisted in the first half of the year and boosted Just Eat Takeaway’s revenue, but efforts to increase its share of the crowded market impacted profitability. Revenue in the first six months of the year grew to €2.6 bn (£2.2bn) – a 52 [...]
Brits still spooked over public transport as spending lies well below pre-Covid levels August 11, 2021 Covid-19 still has Brits spooked about public transport, despite the UK lifting restrictions, as cash dished out on trains and buses remains well behind pre-pandemic spending. Consumer spending across public transport sits 30 per cent below figures seen in 2019, according to new data from moneysaving app Snoop. Meanwhile, petrol has enjoyed a 90 per [...]