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...
Topshop is making a nationwide return to bricks-and-mortar retail, launching in 32 John Lewis stores in its most significant high street comeback since the collapse of Arcadia Group in 2020. The relaunch, which also sees Topman stocked in seven John Lewis locations, marks the first time in four years that the brand has returned to physical retail at scale. Topshop’s original Oxford Street flagship was once a defining force in British fashion, famously drawing crowds...
UK unemployment has climbed to its highest level in five years while wage growth continued to ease, strengthening expectations that the Bank of England will resume cutting interest rates in the coming months. Official figures from the Office for National Statistics show the jobless rate rose to 5.2 per cent in the three months to December, up from 5.1 per cent in the previous rolling quarter. Unemployment has been edging higher since 2022, reflecting a...
Graduates are increasingly missing out on job offers because they are not considered ready for the workplace, according to new research that suggests a widening gap between academic achievement and professional expectations. A survey commissioned by Regent’s University London found that 80 per cent of recruiters believe graduates are losing out on roles due to a lack of professional maturity and work readiness. A further fifth described some candidates as “work shy” and lacking self-awareness....
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is ready to put Senate Democrats to the test on voter ID legislation. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has earned the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, including Thune, which is enough to break through a key procedural hurdle. Whether it can pass from the Senate to President Donald Trump’s desk is, for now, an unlikely scenario if lawmakers take the traditional path in the upper chamber....
Senate Republicans now have enough support within their conference to pass Trump-backed voter ID legislation, but a major hurdle remains. The Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act has secured the backing of 50 Senate Republicans, following a pressure campaign by the White House and a cohort of Senate conservatives over the past several weeks. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has led the charge in the upper chamber, ramping up his efforts last week as the...
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is accusing Democrats of being hypocritical in their opposition to Republicans’ latest election integrity bill. The No. 3 House Republican ripped the rival party after nearly all of them voted against the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act last week, specifically over its provision mandating federally accepted photo identification at the polls. It’s also sometimes referred to as the ‘SAVE Act.’ ‘These guys are doing the same old...
