Jonathan Owen discusses VAT charged on Open Markets, Street Traders and Carbooters and problems facing bike share providers

The Panama Papers, squirming politicians, Sainsbury’s acquisition of Argos, taking your dog to work and the supermarket and Storm Gertrude. Jonathan Owen’s monthly round-up of the news is here.

Happy New Online Year

January 2016

Poor High Street sales results, competition from the Germans, early sales, drastic high street discounting but record online sales. Where does this leave loss-making ‘discretionary’ services like markets?

Pull the Udder one

September 2015

Jonathan Owen discusses the supermarket milk war and the reasons behind it. Plus, what happens when ‘unexpected items’ appear in supermarket bagging areas

Playing Blink

August 2015

The July budget, described as ‘a budget for working people’ was disappointing for small businesses. Meanwhile the Germans played a game of blink – and lost.

All Change, Please

July 2015

This month Jonathan Owen talks about fairness: the new Competition and Markets Authority, Amazon Reviews, Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England’s warning to bankers on Fair and Effective Markets, the Cabinet reshuffle and QR coded Canadian lobsters