The weak pound is bad news for startups importing goods from Europe – but does the currency crash have positive outcomes too? The dive in sterling from $1.47 on June 23 to $1.29 two weeks later has had a severe impact on British businesses reliant on buying foreign products. It reached its lowest level against the dollar in three decades following …
Can the UK build a world-beating furniture industry?
The British furniture industry lags behind Europeans despite a wealth of design talent. Why? It’s perhaps an interesting time to reflect on the fact that Europeans simply do some things better than Britain and in a way that we would do well to learn from. This includes the making and selling of furniture. It’s a sore point for individuals in the …
Following Fab and flatpack
Between 2010 and 2013 Jason Goldberg transformed Fab.com from a social network for gay men into a flash sale website with 10 million members, selling seven million products in three years. In September last year, Goldberg launched a new business, Hem. Another e-commerce business; this time selling upmarket but affordable, customisable furniture. 1. At Christmas 2012, the top selling products …
Will new generations wear watches?
More than half of 16-34 year-olds use a mobile phone as their main way to tell the time, according to a YouGov poll. With this generation expected to outspend baby boomers by 2017, attracting the business of the sector is viewed as the watch industry’s biggest challenge. And that’s even before considering the impact of wearable tech. The Apple Watch was …