Boots responds to consumer pressure over 'sexist' pricing of razors and eye-cream
Boots has announced it is to slash the price of women’s razors and eye-cream to be line with the prices of equivalent products for men after it was accused of "sexist pricing" by consumers.
The retailer, which insisted it had "never operated a pricing system that discriminates against women", conducted a review of its pricing after a petition started by Stevie Wise gained more than 40,000 signatures calling for change.
Boots Botanics eye cream was £9.99 for women and £7.29 for men, and a pack of eight razors were £2.29 for women and a pack of 10 was £1.49 for men.
In a statement, Boots said: "We immediately conducted a review on all Boots own brand and proprietary ranges to better understand the cited examples.
"This review has reassured us that for Boots own brands the two reported examples, Boots disposable razors and Botanics eye roll on, are indeed exceptional cases which do not completely meet our principles and we are taking action to correct these prices.
"Following the review of Boots own brand ranges, we are speaking to our suppliers to ask them to conduct similar reviews of their brands, however we cannot comment further on their pricing – that would be a matter for the brands themselves."
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Microsoft snaps up British AI firm Swiftkey
Microsoft has forked out an estimated $250m (£173.6m) to buy UK artificial intelligence (AI) company Swiftkey, which makes predictive typing software that has been installed on 100s of millions of smartphones.
According to a report in the FT, Swiftkey founders Jon Reynolds and Ben Medlock will make more than $30m from the acquisition.
Swiftkey is currently available to download on iOS and Android phones, but is not available for Windows-powered smartphones.
The move is clearly designed to strengthen Microsoft’s mobile business, which chief executive Satya Nadella has repeatedly said he wants to grow.
The acquisition adds to Microsoft’s growing list of mobile apps and software firms, which include email app Acompli and calendar app Sunrise.
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Adidas president launches sports business podcast
Adidas North America president Mark King yesterday launched a podcast series that revolves around interviews with people who straddle the line between sports and business.
The show is aimed at a listenership of business professionals and is available on sites including iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and Windows Phone Marketplace.
The first two episodes of the clumsily titled Extraordinary Happens: Competing in Sports, Business and Life featured interviews with Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Fox senior correspondent and NFL sideline reporter Pam Oliver.
King explained the aim of the series in the first episode. The reason teams or athletes stall is the same reason companies fail, they follow a plan that no longer works," he said. "Great companies, great people, great athletes have the ability to change at the same pace or faster as the marketplace or game.
"Companies and teams who really move forward have to be relentless in their innovation."
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In case you missed it...two longer reads
The digital revolution is over. We are now fully ensconced in a tech-led world and 2016 signals a post-revolutionary transition. Rebecca Coleman identifies the trends that are set to define the post-everything era.
Was it Mog, cat, budgie or meerkats who won consumers over this year? Or was it the man on the moon who achieved the most cut-through? Find out consumers' most recalled ad of the year.
If you watch one video today...
Rather than a video, this week we're pointing you towards our new podcast. Listen to the fifth episode below and.
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