Category: Business

• 21/05/2023

  An evening with the Bank of England…

  Earlier this week, the Bank of England hosted an online ‘Q&A’ with their chief economist Huw Pill and I decided it would be worth going along (even though I had many other more pressing things to do). Many have been deriding this event online as the supposed ‘Q&A’ (note the inverted commas) involved answering four…
• 13/05/2023

  The sorry state of local newspapers.

  When was the last time you bought a local newspaper? Checked their Facebook page? Even acknowledged that local media still exists in this modern world? Sadly, people are engaging in the aforementioned acts far too infrequently leading to the sorry the state we have now. From the pillars of the community, local newspapers have been…
• 05/05/2023

  What is happening at John Lewis?

  John Lewis is enduring a tumultuous period in which they are ditching the hallmarks of their 94 year history in an attempt to be relevant, cut costs and quite simply stay afloat. In recent months, John Lewis have made some almost questionable decisions in an attempt to manage the spiralling costs they are incurring as…
• 30/04/2023

  Colin vs Cuthbert Part 2 – Battle of Advertising

  One of my absolute favourite business stories is the slightly bemusing legal battle between Marks & Spencer and Aldi over a pair of lookalike Caterpillar Cakes named Colin and Cuthbert at starkly different prices. For reasons unbeknownst to anyone except the staffers of M&S, the presence of Cuthbert (which at the time of the court…
• 25/04/2023

  Primark: The fashion retailer doing things its own way.

  Primark: the ‘fast fashion’ retailer has become near ubiquitous in major UK times, defied the Coronavirus pandemic and bucked the trend with regard to online retailing – how have they done it? Owned by food and retail conglomerate Associated British Foods (who generate revenues of over £13 billion), Primark has chartered a meteoric rise becoming…
• 19/04/2023

  Can you own colours and shapes? A supermarket court battle.

  Two of Britain’s largest supermarkets are at war and legal minds across the land have been debating these serious questions: can you own a combination of colours and shapes? Does using similar visual cues constitute copyright infringement? Do supermarkets seem to be obsessed with taking each other to court these days over the minute details?…
• 12/04/2023

  The most annoying advert on TV (according to me).

  I don’t normally have a go at (or herald) particular adverts but Lloyds Bank has reached a whole new level of annoyance with their latest campaign that I had to publicly deride it. This abysmal advert shows a young girl on her journey biking (why?) and how the black horses that have become a symbol…
• 05/04/2023

  My report into Financial Education.

  As you may be aware, I have started a campaign to improve financial education in UK schools after noticing how poorly it is delivered and the adverse impact it is having on young people. I know of people in their final year of secondary school who do not know that you pay interest on money…
• 02/04/2023

  Specsavers: How to turn a mundane service into a national catchphrase.

  Going to the opticians isn’t a particularly thrilling experience nor is it one that should captivate a nation yet through 20 years of genius marketing campaigns Specsavers have embedded themselves into the national psyche with their tagline taking a life of its own. Many British people often proclaim ‘should’ve gone to Specsavers’ after any comedic…
• 27/03/2023

  Why I’m trying to do something about financial education.

  Money is an intrinsic part of modern life as we live in one of the most competitive consumer economies yet most young people have very little understanding of the financial world that surrounds us and are disadvantaged as a result. Since I was seven years old, I have been utterly fascinated by personal finance and…