Profit margins at the world’s largest luxury goods companies have almost halved in just three years, prompting calls for more disciplined cost management that preserves brand equity while restoring profitability. Research from supply chain consultancy Inverto, part of Boston Consulting Group, shows that the average operating margin across the 20 biggest luxury groups has fallen from 24 per cent in 2022 to 13 per cent today. Half of those companies have seen margins decline over...
Octopus Energy Generation is investing nearly $1bn in Californian clean technology projects, deepening its exposure to the US energy transition and accelerating plans to deploy $2bn across the country by 2030. The funding, channelled through Octopus-managed funds, spans carbon removal, heat battery technology and solar-plus-storage infrastructure, reinforcing the company’s strategy of backing next-generation decarbonisation assets in advanced markets. Octopus will support two California-based carbon removal companies focused on grassland restoration and reforestation, converting degraded land...
The Senate inched closer to striking a compromise on a Homeland Security (DHS) funding deal as the partial government shutdown entered its fourth day Tuesday. Whether Senate Democrats and the White House can reach a deal this week while lawmakers are out of town remains an open question. Negotiations between the Trump administration and Senate Democrats were seemingly at an impasse through much of Monday after little activity over the weekend. The White House provided...
The State Department’s allegation that China conducted a yield-producing nuclear test in 2020 is reigniting debate in Washington over whether the United States can continue its decades-long moratorium on nuclear weapons testing. U.S. officials warned that Beijing may be preparing tests in the ‘hundreds of tons’ range — a scale that underscores China’s accelerating nuclear modernization and complicates efforts to draw Beijing into arms control talks. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are both hopeful about becoming their party’s presidential nominee in 2028. They both have a shot. Odds-makers place the New York congresswoman second only to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the race to be the Democratic nominee, while President Trump, asked whether Vice President JD Vance is his chosen successor, has more than once suggested that Rubio is also in the running. Recently,...
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader, two-time Democratic presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, died Tuesday morning at the age of 84, his family said in a statement. ‘It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family,’ the statement said....
If you have ever tried to defend creator spend in front of a CFO, you know the problem. The campaign can look busy on the surface. Views are high, comments are positive, and the creators are asking when the next deal is coming. Then the CFO asks one question: what did we get back in revenue, and how do you know it came from this spend? When the answer leans on Earned Media Value (EMV)...
The British Business Bank has committed up to £45m as a cornerstone investor in Redrice Ventures’ £75m Fund II, aiming to strengthen early-stage investment across the UK’s creative industries. The commitment, made through the Bank’s Enterprise Capital Funds programme, builds on a previous £36m cornerstone backing for Redrice’s first fund in 2021, which helped catalyse additional private capital into what became an oversubscribed vehicle. Founded in 2018, London-based Redrice specialises in seed-stage investments in premium,...
Nominations have opened for the 2026 edition of the Black British Business Awards (BBBAwards), marking the 13th year of a programme dedicated to recognising exceptional Black British talent across the UK’s corporate and entrepreneurial landscape. With nearly 500 professionals and entrepreneurs already honoured since its launch, the awards continue to serve as a prominent platform for celebrating leadership, innovation and impact across British business. Organisers are calling on companies to put forward visionary leaders, high-performing...
Warrington-based fitness brand Built For Athletes has secured £1.025m in funding from NatWest as it accelerates plans for global expansion and product innovation. The facility comprises a £525,000 trade loan and £500,000 in invoice finance, providing the fast-growing business with additional financial flexibility to invest in new product lines, scale operations and expand its international footprint. Founded in 2018 by brothers Daniel and Nicholas Costello, Built For Athletes has established itself as a category-defining backpack...
