I was a staff writer on The Daily Telegraph business desk from 2005-2008. As a freelancer, I have written business stories for The Times, The Telegraph, and CNBC European Business.
The Times 25 September 2017
When is a craft beer not a craft beer? It is a question troubling some drinkers after large multinational drinks companies started to buy up their favourite craft breweries. Carlsberg’s acquisition of London Fields brewery, for example, followed AB Inbev scooping up Camden Town and a series of other acquisitions that have left the remaining independent brewers cautious about their future.
The Times 4 September 2017
Carrie Weekes owns a top hat but, in the three years she has been an undertaker, hasn’t been asked to wear it. She has, however, arranged one ceremony for a young man on a football pitch.
The Times 7 August 2017
Working for a family-owned business can be infuriating, particularly if the boss installs his woefully unprepared son as managing director. When that happened to Edmund Potter in the late 1960s, he decided to set up on his own and do things differently. In 1971, he launched Delta-T Devices, a maker of scientific instruments, which became a co-operative when it was large enough to qualify in 1980.
The Times 23 May 2017
Why are British workers less productive? It is a question that keeps economists awake at night. The financial crisis hit productivity around the world. France and Germany have recovered well but workers in Britain take an average of five days to produce what their peers in France, Germany and the US do in four. This matters.
The Times 10 October 2016
If you search for an energy deal on a price comparison website, the chances are several unfamiliar names will crop up. Long-dominated by British Gas, E.ON, EDF, SSE, ScottishPower and Npower, there has been a flood of entrants to the market, with 14 new suppliers in the past year. Down from 99 per cent in 2012, the so-called Big Six still have an 85 per cent share of the market, but they are haemorrhaging customers at a rate of 120,000 a month.
The Times 2 September 2015
Minecraft, loom bands and YouTube stars were the three big topics in British children’s publishing last year — enough, you might think, to make Beatrix Potter turn in her grave.
The Times 25 August 2015
From Joy Division to the Happy Mondays by way of the Haçienda, Manchester is known for its groundbreaking bands and the hedonistic nightlife they spawned. Now the city is hoping to lift its cultural offer to a higher plane with The Factory, a new arts centre that will host events from traditional theatre to whizz-bang immersive experiences, such as the 3D virtual reality planetarium slated for Manchester’s International Festival in 2017.
The Times 24 August 2015
It was a gift for the cynics. This year George Osborne renamed a train Northern Powerhouse as a symbol of the project he has undertaken to devolve powers to the northern cities, drive investment there and rebalance Britain’s economy away from London and the southeast.
The Times 15 June 2015
“This is a revolution in the way we govern England,” said the chancellor, George Osborne, fresh from election victory, as he fleshed out plans for the northern powerhouse in a converted warehouse in Salford last month. “The old model of trying to run everything in our country from the centre of London is broken. It is time for you to take control of your own affairs,” he told the assembled group of dignitaries.
The Times 22 August 2014
A century ago, the Northumberland town of Blyth was a thriving hub of the British shipbuilding industry. Now, a new industry is springing up there that capitalises on Britain’s expertise in marine engineering and easy access to the sea.
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