What an IPO actually involves and why London keeps losing them
An initial public offering is an 18-month sequence of prospectus drafting, FCA review, roadshows and bookbuilding, and the mechanics…
Marcus Vale
413 reading now
Business
Markets, companies, the economy and the money stories that affect your life.
445 stories
Why your favourite cafe takes card only, and what it costs them
Card-only tills trade a visible percentage fee for the hidden costs of cash, and the arithmetic now favours cards for most small…
Rachel Stone
333 reading now
Succession in family firms: the conversation most owners put off
Most family businesses do not survive the second generation, and the failures are usually about unplanned handovers rather than bad trading.
Marcus Vale
446 reading now
How dividends work and why some companies never pay them
Dividends are board-declared distributions of realised profits, hedged by Companies Act rules and ex-dividend mechanics, and a company's…
Marcus Vale
414 reading now
How supermarkets decide what you pay for a basket of groceries
Grocery prices are set through known value items, margin mix and loyalty pricing, a system designed around how shoppers judge cheapness…
Rachel Stone
429 reading now
Franchising in the UK: what the glossy prospectus leaves out
Franchising sells a business-in-a-box, but the box comes with fees on turnover, tied suppliers and an exit that needs the franchisor's…
Marcus Vale
412 reading now
How supermarket own brands are actually made
Own-label groceries now account for roughly half of UK supermarket spending, and much of it rolls off the same factory lines as the brands…
Marcus Vale
414 reading now
What happens when a bank fails: deposit protection explained
The FSCS covers £85,000 per person per authorised institution and the Bank of England can resolve a failing bank over a weekend, but shared…
Marcus Vale
362 reading now
How loyalty cards really pay for your discounts
Loyalty schemes fund member-only prices by selling basket-level shopping data to brands, advertisers and insurers, turning the shelf-edge…
Marcus Vale
442 reading now