Apple and Amazon deny reports of Chinese hardware hack October 4, 2018 US tech giants such as Apple and Amazon have denied reports of a Chinese hack on their hardware systems, after a Bloomberg investigation claimed malicious computer chips were placed inside equipment by foreign agents. Bloomberg cited 17 anonymous sources across US intelligence agencies and company insiders, who stipulated Chinese intelligence officials had infiltrated around 30 US [...]
DEBATE: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? October 3, 2018 Debate: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? YES, says Waqar Riaz, head of data-driven marketing at Cheil Europe. Few can argue with the idea that big business should pay its fair share towards public services like the NHS or education. Yet, as business has become increasingly global in nature, legislation has failed to [...]
Airbnb reveals its UK tax bill amid Tory calls for a digital services tax October 2, 2018 Airbnb paid just shy of £600,000 in UK tax last year, Morning Wire can reveal, as chancellor Philip Hammond raises calls for a unilateral digital services tax on tech firms. In financial accounts seen by Morning Wire and due to be published on Companies House later this week, Airbnb paid just £596,992 in corporate tax in the year [...]
Amazon hands pay rise to 37,000 UK staff to take them above Living Wage October 2, 2018 Amazon is set to raise pay for UK staff above the Real Living Wage from the start of next month, expected to benefit around 37,000 workers. The retail giant – which recently hit a $1 trillion valuation – will pay London staff £10.50 per hour from 1 November and UK-wide staff £9.50 per hour. Read more: [...]
Norwegian wealth fund buys up old Amazon HQ in London for £321.1m September 27, 2018 Norway’s sovereign investment fund today revealed it has bought a 100 per cent stake in an office building in central London for £321.3m. The seller was VGV Immobilienfonds II, a fund managed by Union Investment Institutional Property. The building at 60 Holborn Viaduct is the former London headquarters of tech giant Amazon, which moved to [...]
Out with the old, in with the new UK high street September 26, 2018 A tale of two retailers dominated the high street yesterday – Next’s shares jumped nearly eight per cent after the fashion giant lifted its full-year profit guidance while Card Factory’s shares lost a tenth of their value after profits were off-message. Read more: Next nudges up profit guidance after blistering summer The diverging fortunes [...]
Sky’s the limit: Dramatic auction between Comcast and Fox nears its conclusion September 22, 2018 The dramatic fate of Sky is nearing its finale, as a £26bn head-to-head auction between two of the world’s most powerful media companies enters into its final few hours. Comcast is battling it out with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox and its powerful soon-to-be owner Disney in a rare auction, which includes up to three [...]
Amazon reportedly planning 3,000 cashierless convenience stores September 20, 2018 Online retail giant Amazon is reportedly planning to open 3,000 cashierless stores over the next few years as it bulks up its bricks-and-mortar retail presence. Amazon could aggressively expand its Amazon Go brand with plans to open 10 locations by the end of this year, according to Bloomberg, with 50 locations in major cities by [...]
EU competition watchdog launches probe into Amazon’s business practices September 19, 2018 Amazon's business practices will be put under the microscope as the EU competition watchdog launched a probe into how the retailer uses data collected from smaller merchants. The preliminary investigation will scrutinise how the online shopping giant uses data it collects as a host for merchants and as a seller itself, as Amazon sells its own products [...]
DEBATE: Is it fair to judge entrepreneurs like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for their philanthropic efforts? September 18, 2018 Is it fair to judge entrepreneurs like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos for their philanthropic efforts? Sarah Turner, managing director of Carter Wong, says YES. We live in a world where the “haves” and “have nots” grow ever further apart. It’s also a world where big brands are waking up to the power of investing in social good [...]