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☆ Deliveroo upgrades earnings guidance despite drop in orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British meal delivery company Deliveroo upgraded its full-year earnings guidance on Thursday after a resilient first half in challenging market conditions that saw its total orders number fall 6%. The company said it expected to make adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 60-80 million pounds ($76-$102 million) for the year, up from its previous 20-50 million pounds forecast. The company, which had 948 million pounds in net cash at the end of the period, said it would return 250 million pounds of capital to shareholders. The total gross transaction value of its orders increased 3%, as inflation in restaurant and grocery prices more than offset the drop in order numbers. Founder and chief executive Will Shu said the company delivered a strong financial performance despite challenging market conditions.

Persons: Will Shu, Deliveroo

☆ European markets climb on strong earnings ahead of key U.S. inflation print
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets were higher on Thursday as investors digested a fresh round of corporate earnings and looked ahead to a key U.S. inflation print that could provide hints about the Federal Reserve 's next monetary policy move. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index rose by 0.6% in early trade, with insurance adding 1.7% to lead gains while mining stocks fell 0.4% as the only sector in the red. The European blue chip index closed Wednesday's session up 0.4%, with oil and gas stocks adding 2.3% to lead gains as most sectors finished the day in positive territory. Stateside, stock futures were higher in early premarket trade after another negative session on Wall Street. Back in Europe, corporate earnings continue to roll in and influence individual share price action.

Persons: Dow Jones, Hong Organizations: Federal, Siemens, Zurich Insurance, Thyssenkrupp, Deutsche Telekom, HelloFresh Locations: U.S, London, Asia, Pacific, Europe

☆ Wingstop says its UK target market is Gen Zers who like boxing and 'Love Island.' Here's how the chicken brand is using TikTok, rappers, and customization to pull in younger diners.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Wingstop UK is using TikTok, social-media influencers, and rappers to attract Gen Z diners. Wingstop UK has collaborated with brands including including Xbox, Gymshark, and Tinder. Grogan said that Wingstop UK did engage in some paid partnerships, but focused on "curating authentic experiences." Lemon Pepper opened the first Wingstop UK restaurant near London's bustling Leicester Square in 2018. Lemon Pepper HoldingsIn 2022, the chain sold more than 17.5 million wings, Lemon Pepper says.

Persons: It's, –, Zers, Tom Grogan, cofounders, Lemon Pepper, TikTok, Yung, Michael Dapaah, Lady Leisha, M, Cat Burns, Grogan, Wingstop, – Grogan, Herman Sahota, Saul Lewin –, Rick Ross, Saul Lewin, Lemon, We're, Gen, it's Organizations: Wingstop, Service, Wingstop's, Sports, Lemon Pepper Holdings, Xbox, JD Sports, Yung Filly, YouTube, KFC, Leicester Square, Hickory, Wings, Lemon Pepper, Sunday Times Locations: Wall, Silicon, Covent, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow

☆ Britain's Waitrose joins forces with Uber Eats for rapid delivery
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - British upmarket supermarket group Waitrose has teamed up with rapid delivery firm Uber Eats (UBER.N) to provide its groceries to shoppers' homes in as little as 20 minutes, the companies said on Tuesday. Waitrose, part of the employee-owned John Lewis Partnership, said the "multi-year" partnership launched on the Uber Eats platform in five London stores and will roll out to over 200 stores by the end of August. It peaked at about 15% during the pandemic but has since come off to 10.4%, according to market researcher NIQ. Waitrose said the deal with Uber Eats builds on its existing partnership with Deliveroo (ROO.L) and its own online shopping business. Uber Eats already partners with UK supermarkets Sainsbury's, (SBRY.L), Asda, Morrisons, the Co-op and Iceland.

Persons: Uber, Online's, James Davey Organizations: Waitrose, John Lewis Partnership, Deliveroo, Asda, Morrisons, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Iceland

☆ The dead IPO market is dragging down VCs' ability to raise new funds with returns tied up in startups overdue an exit, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The lack of liquidity is making it even more difficult for VCs to raise new funds, analysts said. PitchBook's Nalin Patel said LP money could become trapped in companies that were "overdue an exit." Venture capital-backed exits have continued to collapse in 2023, piling pressure on general partners already facing a torrid time trying to raise funds from institutional investors. This represented a 40% decline on the $161.4 billion worth of exits posted during the same period last year. In a performing exit market growth stage companies like fintech giant Stripe, buy now, pay later firm Klarna, and software firm Databricks may all have already gone public.

Persons: PitchBook's Nalin Patel, Wise, Klarna, Kyle Stanford, Nalin Patel, Stanford Organizations: Venture, PitchBook's EMEA, Global, Companies Locations: Deliveroo, PitchBook's

☆ Belgian insurance tech startup Qover just raised a $30 million Series C round with this 18-slide pitch deck
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Belgian insurance tech startup Qover has raised $30 million in Series C funding. Belgian insurance tech startup Qover has raised $30 million in a Series C funding round. "2022 was pivotal for our business because VC funding slowed down, metrics changed and we have a strong exposure to VC-backed companies," Colmant said. The Series C funding round came from investors including Anthemis, Alven, Kreos Capital and Zurich Global Ventures at an increased valuation. Check out Qover's 18-slide Series C pitch deck below:

Persons: Qover, Quentin Colmant, Colmant, Monese Organizations: Kreos, Zurich Global Ventures Locations: Belgian, Brussels, Kreos Capital

☆ Meituan’s KeeTa joins Hong Kong's food delivery race — but analysts are skeptical
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sheila Chiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

HONG KONG, CHINA - MAY 22: A poster promoting 'KeeTa' is seen on May 22, 2023 in Hong Kong, China. "I'm not very optimistic about Meituan's expansion in Hong Kong," Shawn Yang, managing director of Blue Lotus Research Institute, told CNBC. The food delivery service — named KeeTa — launched on May 22 in two residential areas: Mong Kok and Tai Kok Tsui. Stiff competitionThe penetration rate of food delivery in Hong Kong is not particularly high. The food delivery market in Hong Kong remains lukewarm, even during the pandemic, with moderate growth rates.

Persons: Chen Yongnnuo, Shawn Yang, KeeTa —, Mong Kok, Tai Kok Tsui, KeeTa, Sham, Meituan, Kai Wang, ChinaIRN, doesn't, it's, Wang, Yang, Blue, Ryan Lai, Lai Organizations: China News Service, Getty, Blue Lotus Research Institute, CNBC, Yau, Morningstar, Morningstar Asia, Blue Lotus Research, Blue Lotus, Foodpanda, Hong, HK Locations: HONG KONG, CHINA, Hong Kong, China, Mong, Morningstar Asia, Mong Kok, Hong, Deliveroo, Foodpanda Hong Kong

☆ Turkish food delivery startup Getir to leave Spain, union says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, June 30 (Reuters) - Turkish delivery startup Getir will cease its business in Spain and lay off its entire workforce there of 1,560 after failing to raise enough capital in a recent funding round, Spain's biggest trade union CCOO said on Friday. "We condemn the disastrous business management of Getir, which has not known how to grow or have a market strategy in Spain," the union said in a statement. Spain's food delivery market is dominated by Delivery Hero (DHER.DE)-owned Glovo, the Netherlands' Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) and Uber Eats (UBER.N), all three of which gained market share after Britain's Deliveroo (ROO.L) exited the country in late 2021. Getir Spain did not immediately reply to a request for comment. However, in an April deal, Getir reportedly only raised about $500 million, cutting its valuation almost in half to $6.5 billion.

Persons: CCOO, Britain's Deliveroo, Getir, Le Monde, Flink, David Latona, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Louise Heavens Organizations: Getir, Financial Times, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Spain, Netherlands, Getir Spain, France, Getir France, Istanbul, Getir, Paris

☆ Kitt designs, builds, and manages office space for the likes of Oatly. Check out the 35-slide pitch deck it used to raise $8 million from Hoxton Ventures.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kitt, which designs, constructs, and manages office space, just raised $8 million. Instead, he was consumed by a quirk of his Kentish Town, London, office space: a leaky AC unit. It was this experience, and the subsequent chasing of the landlord for repairs, that germinated the seed of his next business: managed office space. Kitt has a marketplace of office space to connect landlords and commercial tenants. With the rise of remote work, office space is now seen as a strategic decision, Coulson said.

Persons: Steve Coulson, Coulson, Kitt Organizations: Kitt, Hoxton Ventures, Babylon, New Locations: Kentish, London, Deliveroo, Kitt, New York

☆ EU countries amend draft proposal on gig workers' rights, companies unhappy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleBRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday tweaked draft rules aimed at giving workers at online companies such as Uber (UBER.N) and Deliveroo (ROO.L) employee benefits, ahead of negotiations with EU lawmakers who want more comprehensive rules than both EU governments and the European Commission. In their draft version agreed on Monday, EU countries propose that companies will be considered employers if they meet three out of seven criteria. The EU executive said the rules would cover some 4.1 million of the 28 million workers at online platform companies across the 27-country European Union. Uber criticised the proposals from both EU countries and lawmakers. EU countries, EU lawmakers and the Commission will now thrash out the details before the draft becomes legislation.

Persons: Toby Melville BRUSSELS, Uber, Anabel Diaz Calderon, Glovo, Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Chopin, REUTERS, European Commission, EU, Union, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Europe, EU

☆ London crypto move is a sign of desperate times
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK/LONDON, June 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is eager to bring some Silicon Valley glitz to London. Now venture capital investor Andreessen Horowitz is setting up its first non-US office in the British capital, to focus on blockchain and cryptocurrencies. The then-finance minister in 2021 declared as “fantastic” the decision by Deliveroo (ROO.L) to list its shares in London. Despite Sunak’s call for the UK to “embrace new innovations” like the blockchain, Britain’s appetite for crypto remains uncertain. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Andreessen Horowitz, Binance, Sunak, Deliveroo, “ gosh, Bobby Kotick, Anita Ramaswamy, Karen Kwok, Stellantis, Peter Thal Larsen, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Coinbase, Stanford University, Chips, Activision Blizzard, Twitter, Brookfield, Thomson Locations: London, U.S, Teck, China

☆ These European companies cut jobs this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TECH* ERICSSON (ERICb.ST): the telecom equipment maker will lay off 8,500 employees globally as part of its plan to cut costs, a memo seen by Reuters said. * NOKIA (NOKIA.HE): the Finnish telecom equipment maker said on May 3 it plans to cut up to 208 jobs in Finland. * PHILIPS (PHG.AS): the Dutch medical equipment maker on Jan. 30 said it would cut 6,000 jobs to counter falling sales and after a massive recall of its respiratory machines. * SAP (SAPG.DE): the German software company said on Jan. 26 it planned to shed 3,000 jobs, 2.5% of its global workforce, to cut costs and focus on its cloud business. * EVONIK (EVKn.DE): the German specialty chemicals producer said on April 3 it would cut 200 jobs as part of restructuring of its pet food unit.

☆ 'A very problematic market': As Arm shuns London, tech investors question UK as an IPO destination
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The institutional investors that dominate the London market lack a good understanding of tech, according to several venture capitalists. Numerous tech firms listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021, in moves that buoyed investor hopes for more major tech names to start appearing in the blue-chip FTSE 100 benchmark. Since Deliveroo's March 2021 IPO, the firm's stock has plummeted dramatically, slumping over 70% from the £3.90 it priced its shares at. "London is creating, and the U.K. is creating, globally important businesses — Arm is a globally important business. The London Stock Exchange was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

☆ Brits need to accept they are now poorer, Bank of England chief economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Companies and workers are trying to pass the impact of inflation onto each other — and that risks persistent inflation, according to Huw Pill, the Bank of England's chief economist. "What we're facing now is that reluctance to accept that yes we're all worse off, we all have to take our share," Pill said on an episode of Columbia Law School and the Millstein Center's "Beyond Unprecedented" podcast, released on Tuesday. That has been followed by adverse weather and an outbreak of avian flu driving up food prices. The U.K. imports nearly half its food. "If what you're buying has gone up a lot relative to what you're selling, you're going to be worse off," Pill said.

☆ This startup that automates SME invoices with AI just raised $8 million. Check out the 10-slide pitch deck Triver used to raise the fresh funds.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The startup was founded by former Funding Circle executive Jerome Le Luel and is backed by Stride.vc. A London-based startup that will provide instant working capital to SMEs has emerged from stealth with an $8 million funding round. Like most forms of short-term working capital, financing solutions for the SME market are often expensive and time-consuming. Most providers run checks based on e-commerce data, but Le Luel believes that Open Banking data allows for better risk and analytics modeling. The company wants to launch its platform within this quarter and said that it had a "line-of-sight" to a very profitable business by 2027.

☆ Just Eat’s employment U-turn won’t travel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 22 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) Chief Executive Jitse Groen is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. That marks a U-turn from Groen’s 2021 claim that the gig worker model “led to precarious working conditions”. Just Eat Takeaway will employ food-delivery drivers in the UK as independent contractors or through third party agencies. Sacrificing workers’ rights amid a cost-of-living crisis also doesn’t make Groen look good. But with the European Union passing the legislation to improve workers’ rights, Just Eat Takeaway seems to be exploiting a Brexit loophole.

☆ Google got a pandemic boost for its Workspace software but blew it, insiders say. Now it plans to attack Microsoft with a new push in AI.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Rosalie Chan | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian spent much of his time at a partner meeting talking about Workspace, tweeted Tony Safoian, CEO of Google Cloud partner SADA Systems. "Around the globe, more than nine million paying organizations, and more than three billion users rely on Google Workspace for communication and collaboration. Other major customers like Deutsche Bank use Google Cloud for cloud infrastructure, but Microsoft Office for collaboration software. Forty-four percent of software procurers whose organization plans to or currently uses Microsoft's collaboration software also use Google Workspace, according to the 2022 Forrester study. While Google Cloud is still unprofitable, it has decreased losses to $480 million, down from $890 million last year.

☆ HelloFresh shares drop as profit outlook disappoints
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Linda Pasquini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Germany's HelloFresh sees adjusted core profit (AEBITDA) of between 460 million and 540 million euros ($492 million and $577 million) in 2023, compared with analysts' estimate of 547 million euros. He said HelloFresh was not planning any lay-offs at the moment, and refrained from giving an update on the mid-term outlook. HelloFresh expects its revenue to grow 2% to 10% on a constant-currency basis this year, compared with growth of 18% in 2022. The company also forecast "relatively muted" order growth for 2023. HelloFresh reported annual AEBITDA of 477.4 million euros, above the 464.5 million euros expected by analysts.

☆ This startup wants to take on PowerPoint and Notion with its interactive presentation software. Check out the 9-slide pitch deck Chronicle used to raise $7.5 million from Accel.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup has created interactive presentation tools to modernize outdated storytelling methods. We got an exclusive look at the 9-slide deck it created with its own tools to raise the fresh funds. Sydney and San Francisco-based Chronicle has designed a software tool that enables teams to quickly design sleek presentations. While creating presentations, Chronicle offers users pre-designed blocks as templates so they can save time while creating impactful designs, he added. Check out the 9-slide deck — created using the startup's own interactive tools — that helped secure the fresh funds.

☆ Early Deliveroo investor Hoxton Ventures is set to lose one of its founding partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

European venture capital firm Hoxton Ventures, a backer of some of the U.K.'s best-known tech unicorns, is set to lose one of its founding partners. They include food delivery app Deliveroo and cybersecurity firm Darktrace . Some of Hoxton's portfolio companies have seen their public market values sink as investors re-examined their exposure to tech. Babylon Health has lost 95% of its market value since going public via a combination with a special purpose acquisition company. Nonetheless, Hoxton generated a hundredfold return on its early bets on Deliveroo and grew the value of its Darktrace position by fiftyfold since first investing in the company, according to one of the sources.

☆ UK pulls plug on top tech incubator after setting out to become 'world’s next Silicon Valley'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Created in 2010 under the premiership of ex-Prime Minister David Cameron, Tech Nation was a hallmark of the U.K.'s bid to create billion-dollar tech companies of global significance and rival the likes of Silicon Valley. It claims to have helped produce household names in the U.K.'s tech scene, with a diverse range of alumni on its projects hailing from the likes of Monzo, Revolut, Deliveroo , Just Eat , Darktrace and Ocado . According to Tech Nation, more than a third of all tech unicorns and decacorns created in the U.K. graduated from a Tech Nation program. Tech Nation graduates have also raised more than £28 billion ($35.4 billion) in funding to date. While 80% of startups fail in their first two to five years, over 95% of startups on Tech Nation's accelerator programs have gone on to scale, the group said.

☆ Miners, energy firms drag FTSE 100 lower; Dr Martens hits record low
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Johann M Cherian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies FTSE 100 sheds 0.6%, FTSE 250 off 1.0%Deliveroo achieves breakeven in second halfBoohoo's Christmas revenue drops 11%Dr Martens sinks to FTSE 250 bottom on annual profit warningJan 19 (Reuters) - UK's commodity-heavy FTSE 100 fell on Thursday, with energy firms and material stocks dragging the benchmark index lower, while shares of bootmaker Dr Martens slumped to a record low after its annual profit warning. The FTSE 100 (.FTSE) slid 0.6%, while the domestically-oriented FTSE 250 (.FTMC) shed 1.0%. Energy heavyweights Shell (SHEL.L) and BP (BP.L) fell below 1.7%, while industrial miners (.FTNMX551020) shed 1.8% as crude and copper prices declined after disappointing U.S. economic data and on worries about a hawkish Federal Reserve. Dr Martens (DOCS.L) sank 23.6%, after it warned of a lower annual profit and revenue due to operational issues at its new U.S. distribution centre. Reporting by Johann M Cherian in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Deliveroo achieves breakeven in second half
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - British meal delivery company Deliveroo (ROO.L) said it achieved breakeven in adjusted earnings in the second half, boosting its margin for the year to a better-than-expected -1%, and it expected continued improvement in 2023. Founder and chief executive Will Shu said Deliveroo had delivered "significant improvements in profitability whilst also still delivering growth in a difficult macroeconomic environment". The loss-making company, which pulled out of Australia and the Netherlands in 2022, had previously expected its earnings margin for the year to be between -1.2% and -1.5%. The company, which competes with Just Eat Takeaway (TKWY.AS) and Uber Eats, will report its 2022 results on March 16. ($1 = 0.8110 pounds)Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate Holton and Sarah YoungOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Just Eat delivers right takeaway orders, finally
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Food delivery boss Jitse Groen has started the new year with a glimpse of hope. Pleasing investors after a round of missteps, the Dutch company also forecast a higher-than-expected EBITDA of 225 million euros this year. The 5.6 billion euro ($6 billion) group’s results point to a brighter future than what Just Eat experienced in 2022. Less than a year after acquiring U.S. rival Grubhub, Groen made a U-turn by putting it up for sale and writing down the value of the division by 3 billion euros. All this happened while investors started to lose faith in the high-growth low-profit food delivery sector: Just Eat Takeaway lost 60% of its market value last year.

☆ European shares rise on China reopening cheer, slow pace of rate hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SummarySummary Companies STOXX 600 up 0.1%Jan 11 (Reuters) - European shares edged up on Wednesday, lifted by Bayer and LVMH, while optimism over reopening in China and hopes of less aggressive U.S. interest rate hikes aided the sentiment. The pan-regional STOXX 600 (.STOXX) gained 0.1% by 0818 GMT. Signs of slowing wage inflation last week had boosted bets of a less aggressive tightening by the Fed and the European Central Bank. Energy stocks (.SXEP) advanced 1.0%, while miners (.SXPP) gained 1.7%, as commodity prices rose on optimism over top consumer China's reopening. Bayer (BAYGn.DE) rose 2.1% after Bloomberg reported that activist investor Bluebell is pushing for a breakup of the German pharmaceutical company.

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