NEW APPROACH TO M&A ; ONLINE SHOPPING AND TECH TO GROW; GEN Z DIGITAL SKILLS IN DEMAND

NEW APPROACH TO M&A ; ONLINE SHOPPING AND TECH TO GROW; GEN Z DIGITAL SKILLS IN DEMAND

Welcome to today’s business and media intelligence, with insights collected over the past 24-hours.

BACK TO THE OFFICE! FOR SOME, IT’S A BIG LETDOWN 

  • Staff at Fortescue, Wesfarmers and Rio Tinto move back to the office this week, with different approaches to enforce social distancing. In the process, they will become test cases for the rest of the workforce. This comes as tech start-up Employment Hero says many workers aren’t looking forward to returning to the office and those who are, mostly miss the social aspect of work. Read more here in The AFR. (Subscriber access)
  • Sneeze guards, clockwise movement around the office, an in-house barista and isolation rooms. These are part of a new fit-out of commercial real estate agency Cushman & Wakeman’s Sydney CBD offices, where a quarter of staff are due back by June 1. Read about the new fit out in The AFR here(Subscriber access)

GEN Z DIGITAL SKILLS IN DEMAND 

  • It is time for those digitally- savvy Gen Z to shine, as leaders look to deliver better ways for employees to work, according to Australian vice-president for US software company ServiceNow, David Oakley. Technology has been critical in the shift to working from home with one in three Gen Z workers saying they would leave their company if the technology was slow or hard to use. Read more in The AFR here(Subscriber access)

ONLINE SHOPPING AND TECH TO GROW, SAYS GLOBAL INVESTOR 

  • BlackRock is betting on COVID-19 accelerating structural changes already in place, investing in companies with direct exposure to online retail and data centres, which they see as significant growth areas. They also favour established companies without too much debt and management teams that are reinvesting to grow their business. Read more in The Australian(Subscriber access)

BAD NEWS FOR RETAIL: MORE U.S RETAIL BANKRUPTCIES 

  • While retail outlets with digital exposure may benefit from the pandemic, many traditional retail outlets with large store footprints are struggling, at least in the US, as J.C. Penney follows J.Crew and the Neiman Marcus Group in filing for bankruptcy. J.C. Penney, the 118 year old company, has 800 stores and 85,000 employees. Read more about the Chapter 11 filing in the New York Times(Subscriber access)

NEW APPROACH TO M&A 

  • Deeper due diligence, a sharper focus on business continuity and risk management frameworks, and difficulties in valuation assumptions and pricing. These are new rules of the post pandemic M&A landscape. Read more from Allen & Overy on how transacting in the wake of COVID-19 will be different. (Subscriber access)

Our daily briefing is not meant to be a summary of media coverage but rather, insights that may be helpful in understanding how organisations are communicating with stakeholders in a time of crisis – and what comes next. Sign up via email