Breaking 2

For Nike, this was glorious failure. The sportswear giant’s attempt to propel one of its athletes to the “impossible” feat of a sub-two-hour marathon may have come up an agonising 26 seconds short, but the #Breaking2 “moonshot” is likely to be remembered for setting new standards in sports marketing regardless. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the fastest person in history to run a marathon when he set a time of 2 hours and 25 seconds, about 2 and a half minutes faster than the current world record. But that will not trouble Nike, which is today basking in the praise of Kipchoge’s remarkable run, which was broadcast live simultaneously on Facebook and Twitter and can be watched in full on YouTube.Kipchoge and the two other runners who were attempting to smash the two-hour barrier were each wearing a specially customised shoe called the Zoom Vaporfly Elite. Having now been splashed all over the world's media, these futuristic trainers will soon go on sale to casual runners around the world backed by acres of earned media coverage.

Breaking 2

Starbucks Launch Two New Healthier Drinks

Starbucks is launching two new coffee-based drinks in the UK, as it strives to tap into consumers’ growing appetite for healthy beverages. The Cold Brew Vanilla sweet cream and the Cappuccino Freddo, will both be available in stores throughout the UK from Thursday. The former combines vanilla syrup and semi-skimmed milk with cold brew coffee – coffee that has been brewed by steeping beans in cold water for 20 hours or more. The latter is espresso topped with foam made from skimmed milk. Starbucks said that both drinks are lower in calories than the average coffee drink it sells. Starbucks is not alone in facing the challenge of changing consumer behaviours and tastes, and swelling demand for healthier products.

Starbucks

The Bakers Who Boogie

This bakery encourages its staff to dance among the cakes to aid well-being and improve performance. A choreographer worked with the bakery in Burnley to turn their work movements into a dance. Their aim is to reduce repetitive strain injuries and also bring some motivation and joy to the members of staff. 

Bakers Who Boogie

Boohoo Profits Double

Annual pre-tax profits at online fashion retailer Boohoo have almost doubled to £31m - up from just under £16m last year.  Its sales have jumped by 51% to almost £300m, thanks to new overseas markets.  The Manchester-based firm puts its success down to "combining cutting-edge, aspirational design with an affordable price tag". Its booming sales growth has also been reflected in its share price, which has more than trebled in the past year. On its stock market flotation in 2014, it was valued at £560m. It is now worth about £2bn. The firm has gone from strength to strength in recent years, while its High Street rivals have had to deal with increasing competition from Boohoo and other online retailers. The company now has 5.2 active million customers worldwide, and crucially is able to rely on social media "influencers" and video bloggers - "vloggers" - to spread the word to its 18 to 24-year-old target market.

Boohoo.com

Happy Hiring

You can turn up for your Timpson interview with the world's finest CV or resume, and all the interviewer will do is work out whether you are a Mr Lazy (you don't have a hope), or a Mr Cheerful (you have a very good chance). "We purely interview for personality," says Mr Timpson, who has been leading his family's firm for the past 42 years. "We're not bothered by qualifications or CVs. We just look at the candidate and work out who they are, are they Mr Grumpy, Mr Slow, Mr Happy? "If they tick all the right boxes then we put them in the shop for half the day. That's it, I dreamt that up years ago." In explaining the thinking behind this rather novel approach to recruitment, Mr Timpson, 74, says that while you can train someone to do a job, you cannot train their personality. And if you look at the continuing performance of the business, the Mr Men method appears to work rather well. Timpson, a household name in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, saw sales rise 8% to £130m in the year to September 2015, with pre-tax profits up 65% to £10.3m.

Happy Hiring

Pawternity Leave

Scottish brewer Brewdog announced a rather unusual new employee perk earlier this year - one week's paid leave for all workers who adopt a puppy or rescue dog. Unsurprisingly the announcement - which was released to the media in a press release rather than just told to staff - made headlines around the world. Newspaper reports were quick to praise the scheme that Brewdog has dubbed "pawternity" leave. Also last year New York-based online retailer Boxed was praised when its co-founder and boss Chieh Huang announced that the company would contribute to the cost of employees' weddings.cMr Huang says he was inspired to start the unusual scheme when he saw one of his employees crying at work because he was struggling to cover the cost of his mother's medical bills and save for his forthcoming wedding. What perk would motivate you?

Pawternity Leave

Coca Cola to cut 1,200 Jobs

The US firm Coca-Cola has said it will cut about 1,200 jobs due to falling demand for its fizzy drinks. Its global carbonated drink sales fell 1% in the quarter to 31 March, Coca-Cola said. Coca-Cola and rival PepsiCo's sales have taken a hit as consumers in North America and Europe have increasingly turned away from sugary drinks. The Coca-Cola cuts will begin in the second half of 2017 and continue into 2018, the company said. The firm said it was increasing its cost-cutting target by $800m in annualised savings, and now expects to save $3.8bn by 2019. The majority of the extra cost savings will come from corporate job reductions, incoming chief executive James Quincey said in a conference call. A spokesperson added that savings would also be made through the firm's supply chain, marketing, and changes to its operating model. Coca-Cola added that it expected its full-year adjusted profits to fall by between 1% and 3%, compared with the 1% to 4% decline it had forecast in February. The firm has more than 100,000 employees globally.
Coca Cola Job Cut