Pret a Manger has returned to profit after 2 years of substantial losses. It shows the business has learnt to adapt. Almost 3 years ago the fresh food and coffee chain was purchasing rival Eat with the aim of faster store expansion. Quick to expand vegan and gluten-free choices it capitalised on the growing appeal... Continue Reading →
Peloton has gained a lot of recent attention with reports of slowing sales, unhelpful fictional heart attacks and investors calling for the CEO to resign. A share price comparable to that before Covid-19 is certainly eye-catching for a business that has grown paying subscribers from around 1 million to around 3.2 million last year. Something... Continue Reading →
Octopus Energy has achieved 'double unicorn' status with a valuation in excess of $2 billion in just five years. It seems to be on track to be the world's leading renewable energy business. The foundation for this remarkable success is clever and agile business model thinking and here Octopus offers inspiration for start-ups and established... Continue Reading →
My local team Norwich City are doing a lot of things right. They currently lead the race for Premiership status, are holding onto players chased by bigger clubs and have found themselves worthy of an article in the Financial Times. Collectively it shows the club has navigated the journey from a very precarious financial state... Continue Reading →
The rapid development of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is a case-study of effective collaboration. BioNTech has applied new ‘messenger RNA’ technology to carry instructions to human cells that trigger the immune system response for an attack by Covid-19. The resulting immune memory defends against the virus. Ugur Sahin and Özlem Türeci are physicians who met in... Continue Reading →
You may not have heard of the Indian telcom brand Jio but investors certainly have. The company has recently gathered $20bn from investors that include Google and Facebook. Jio is a company with lots of latent e-commerce potential. It has about a 45% share of Indian mobile phone users and via parent company Reliance... Continue Reading →
The launch of a direct to consumer website is not usually big news, especially during this pandemic, but PepsiCo's launch of Snacks.com and Pantryshop.com has gained attention with headlines such as "PepsiCo cuts out grocery stores." These simple websites don't look like a particularly big strategic play at first glance. In fact PepsiCo suggest they... Continue Reading →
There are many startups postponing launches, but not the money saving app Snoop. With many of us getting anxious about our finances Snoop was gently introduced two weeks ago. The app takes advantage of the disruptive potential of 'open banking' to review your spending and provide personalised money management tips. With a bit of artificial... Continue Reading →
Disney has assembled an incredible portfolio of brands and companies including Marvel, Fox Studios, Lucas Films, ESPN and Pixar. Disney is a case-study of a diverse business that has made bold decisions to remain relevant. Strong story-telling franchises ensure cross-generation appeal and are translated into engaging experiences via theme parks or resorts globally. The company... Continue Reading →
Morrisons, the UK's number four grocery chain has faced increased competition from discounters and seen a steady market share decline in recent years. The very late arrival to on-line grocery delivery hasn't helped. Bigger rivals Tesco and Sainsbury have had more than a 15 year head-start. CEO David Potts understands the need to make up... Continue Reading →
Brand Universe Blog 