Off road: Is the car industry in reverse? January 14, 2019 The automotive industry faces recession and decline. Driverless cars are on the horizon, but has the moment for motors already passed? The first Model T Ford rolled off the production line in 1908. Available in “any colour… so long as it is black”, in the words of magnate Henry Ford, the car marked a breakthrough [...]
Softbank shares up on reports it will scale back Wework investment amid tech rout January 8, 2019 Shares in Softbank rose more than five per cent this morning following reports it has scaled back its new investment in Wework. The Japanese conglomerate reportedly plans to invest $2bn (£1.6bn) into the shared workspace startup, down from the original sum of $16bn. The investment will no longer involve Softbank’s prolific $100bn Vision Fund, the [...]
Minicab and Uber drivers to lose exemption from congestion charge December 19, 2018 Minicab and Uber drivers will no longer be exempt from the £11.50 congestion charge from April next year, Sadiq Khan announced today as part of his push to curb pollution levels. TfL expects the changes to reduce the number of private hire vehicles entering the congestion zone each day by up to 8,000, a 44 per cent drop from current levels. [...]
Uber loses appeal over driver employment rights December 19, 2018 Uber drivers are directly employed by the firm, a Court of Appeal judgement declared, after the ride-hailing app failed to overturn an employment tribunal decision. The company, which claims its drivers are self-employed, appealed a tribunal decision that said that workers are employed by the company and are therefore entitled to minimum wage and holiday pay. The [...]
Uber to hire team for Jump electric bikes launch in the UK December 17, 2018 Ride-hailing giant Uber is exploring plans to launch operations of its electric bicycle arm in the UK, entering an already-crowded space from the likes of Chinese startups Ofo and Mobike. Uber bought electric bike startup Jump in April, and has since been trialling the use of its bikes in the US and Germany. It is now [...]
Activist investor launches searing attack on Just Eat over poor returns December 17, 2018 One of Just Eat's shareholders has slammed the company’s management, saying the firm has become the “worst-performing public equity in online food delivery”. Cat Rock Capital, which holds a two per cent stake in Just Eat, urged the board to offload non-core assets, provide a three-year financial plan and change pay incentives for executives in a [...]
Could the UK be on the brink of a US-style class action explosion? December 16, 2018 The Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, Tesco, Google and Mastercard. These are just a handful of the household names that have been targeted in group action lawsuits in the UK with billions of pounds at stake. The UK, unlike the US or Australia, does not have a long history of class action-style lawsuits, [...]
Private firms should embrace this new chapter of governance December 11, 2018 Up until now, privately held companies of all sizes have largely been left to their own devices as far as governance is concerned. With the main UK Corporate Governance Code only applying to firms traded on the London Stock Exchange, private companies could broadly avoid letting the sunlight into their internal practices. But this state of [...]
Own, loan, or Drover: How the subscription economy is shaking up the car industry December 7, 2018 Felix Leuschner looks far too young to have founded three successful businesses. This German-born entrepreneur was just 23 when he launched what became Europe’s largest marketplace for gaming goods, where players could trade virtual products. After selling that company just nine months later, he moved to London and started a fast-fashion website called Stylistpick, collaborating with [...]
Lyft overtakes Uber on road to market float with SEC filing December 6, 2018 Ride-hailing firm Lyft has taken its first big step along the road to a US listing, the firm confirmed today. The company, which was last valued at around $15bn (£11.7bn), said it has submitted a confidential S-1 form with the US Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) as it looks to list its stock. No decision has [...]