12 The Sunday Times November 5, 2017 BUSINESS Andrew Lynch LETTERS women in the House of Robertson at a dinner in Send your letters, including Labour’s possible tax plans; points, businesses are also Farewell to Helen Alexander Lords, a 500-year-old London last week. SIGNALS full name and address, it’s about getting the right providing a service to their institution, than there are “There’s a lot of ideas that AND NOISE . to: The Sunday Times, home for a business, its staff employees — which could be Dame Helen Alexander was business. Back in 1997, when [on a percentage basis] in make sense on sharing . 1 London Bridge Street, and its future. treated as a benefit in kind by renowned for her fastidious she and her business partner the tech sector. Brilliant,” It’s fine sharing a taxi or it’s London SE1 9GF. Or email Steve Dally, chief executive, the Treasury. If this resulted approach to time-keeping Brent Hoberman were she laments. fine sleeping in a hotel bed [email protected] BCMS Corporate, Newbury in a temporary revival of the and attention to detail. pitching lastminute.com, a which someone else slept in Letters may be edited high street (by stalling the So it was at her packed venture capitalist looked last night,” said the 59-year- Nudge, nudge, wink, wink — growth of the online memorial service last week past her and asked Ey up, we’ve lost old former boss of Rolls- is this the City after Brexit? channel), this could benefit in St James’s Church, Hoberman: “What happens Royce Motor Cars. “I’ve no It isn’t that easy to find The desperate attempt of the chancellor’s rate take. Piccadilly, which the former if she gets pregnant?” our top hombre problem saying, ‘I’ve a Mini ‘serious’ buyers Financial Conduct Authority Stephen L Sidkin, chairman of CBI president had planned — Not much has changed in Ay caramba! The biggest law and my daughter and son Luke Johnson asserted last chief Andrew Bailey to drive a the Fashion Law Group and leaving her husband Tim tech, says Baroness Lane- firm born in Yorkshire, DLA using it.’ [But] do I want 40 week that when selling a coach and horses through partner at, and on behalf of, Suter to choose the music. Fox, 44. “I am surprised that Piper, has lost its Spanish other people using it today?” business he prefers 10 stock market rules in order to Fox Williams, solicitors, Alexander, who lost her an industry that did not exist senior partner and global So much for the sharing “serious” buyers to 50 with a let Saudi Aramco list on the London EC2 battle with cancer in August 30 years ago has managed to co-chairman, Juan Picon, economy! “vague interest”. That misses London stock exchange aged just 60, drew an so entirely replicate the after less than two years. the point — certainly for the makes depressing reading The problems stored up by impressive crowd ranging power structures of every What’s more, the señor The pastor’s daughter who vast majority of business (“Fresh row looms over Saudi rock-bottom interest rates from Nick Clegg to business single previous industry that has decamped with a couple What Price a puts the fear of God into owners who want to sell but listing”, last week). David Smith’s article last leaders such as Lords has ever been created, so of amigos to arch-rival Silicon Valley: Tom Baldwin don’t hold an interest in a That the government week on the possible interest Browne and Turner, Sam quickly. There are more Latham & Watkins. The books sensation? on the EU’s competition high-profile brand such as brought pressure on him to rate increase raised the Laidlaw and ad man Robin travel involved in running Please share my Six Steps commissioner Margrethe Pizza Express, as he did. do so as a symbol of the UK’s concern that the longer rates Wight in a shiny purple coat one of the world’s biggest law Guide to your best CV, pleads Vestager The truth — from our post-referendum “openness remain at rock-bottom, the and matching patent shoes. JUST SAYING . firms got to Picon, 53. Mark Price, the author who experience of handling more to the world” is beyond greater the concern that the Sir Roger Carr, the BAE DLA’s other global co-chief formerly ran Waitrose. than 600 successful SME and belief. Is this what we will economy becomes chairman, offered the first We seek your executive Simon Levine — a Perhaps after 17 months as NEWS, PAGE 32 mid-market transactions in become post Brexit — an even dependent on them doing so. eulogy — a touching tribute close friend of Picon — said trade and investment sectors from media to sleazier version of Bermuda? The announcement of a to her kindness and resignation and he was “disappointed”. minister, Lord Price, 56, manufacturing — is that If so, I suggest a new motto quarter-point increase last calmness in adversity. should be focusing on his TWITTER POLL finding these 10 serious for the City: “Nudge, nudge, week marked nearly nine Her friend from St Paul’s ask the board own CV. But no, he’s buyers takes a lot of research wink, wink, I don’t see why years since the Bank of Girls School, Mary Oulton, to immediately Baby, you can’t pumping out books as if they Yes No across regions, sectors and not, squire”. England’s cut the rate to described how Alexander, are going out of style: borders. David Thorpe, New Malden 0.5%. In that time, house who chaired the Port of begin the drive my car Workplace Fables being the To get the best buyers for a prices have risen more than London Authority, took part search for The sharing economy is latest. But who makes money 46% 54% business entails generating a Here’s another way to boost 10 times income in some in the Queen’s diamond meant to be the curse of the out of books, I hear you ask — market, genuine competition the Treasury’s tax take areas, savings have been at a jubilee river pageant. a new chairman car industry. Yet Mini owners apart from JK Rowling? and looking far outside the The chancellor’s focus on a record low and debt levels Oulton texted to ask which don’t seem to be so keen on Now I come to think of it, obvious. tax clampdown on have been heading back boat she was on. “The one sharing after all. Price was signed up by The Equally, in our experience, freelancers (front page of towards the peak seen in the with The Queen,” her BMW launched a Mini car- Blair Partnership, the literary few entrepreneurial business Business last week) may pre-crash boom years. schoolfriend shot back. sharing scheme in Germany agent for, er, JK Rowling (and owners view the company cause him to miss another Surely the inaction in two years ago in which Pete Townshend and Sir they have built and grown opportunity with knock-on addressing those growing owners would let strangers Chris Hoy) in August. I Are you worried that the purely as something to benefits. The rise of digital problems has delivered an Martha’s rage at Hedge fund founder Sir pay to drive their cars. nervously await Chubby rise in interest rates to “offload” to the highest has affected businesses, unsustainable economy that Chris Hohn tells London “One thing we are learning Grocer and the Order of the 0.5% will expose the bidder. For these people, which now have to deal with is already over-dependent on blokey tech Stock Exchange chairman is that not many people want Checkout. cracks in the British selling up is a personal as well the daily arrival of online the status quo and will take Martha Lane Fox is no Donald Brydon to quit over to do it,” confessed BMW andrew.lynch@ economy? as commercial decision, and purchases made by staff and decades to put right. stranger to discrimination in chief Xavier Rolet‘s exit board member Ian sunday-times.co.uk @ST_Business the best deal isn’t just about delivered to their workplaces. Neil Bloomer, Bamburgh, price and even less about In acting as delivery Northumberland DATABANK INSIDE THE CITY JOHN COLLINGRIDGE THE WEEK IN THE MARKETS THE ECONOMY FTSE 100 FTSE 100 DOLLAR Consumer prices index current rate prev. month interest from long-rumoured competition in aviation USD > GBP American predators EchoStar infects margins in its bread 3.0% 2.9% Inmarsat 7,600 and Dish Network. and butter industries. CPI including housing current rate prev. month A constellation of Shipping lines and 7,400 $1.31 2.8% 2.7% in peril on problems, from competition governments will question 0.01 to the woes of its rivals, has why they are letting Inmarsat 7,200 V Retail prices index current rate prev. month 12-month high: $1.37 the sea and depressed shares in the make 70%-80% profit 7,560.35 7,000 low: $1.20 3.9% 3.9% company, which was formed margins while airlines will 55.32 H:7,599.0 EURO Average weekly earnings on prev. month on last year in 1979 as the International tolerate only 40%-50%. 0.74% L:6,676.6 6,800 EUR > GBP in the air £507 U0.4% U2.2% Maritime Satellite Squeezed margins could in 6,600 Organisation. Inmarsat’s turn affect its dividend, which FTSE 250 Unemployment current rate prev.