Co-founders Steven Bartlett and Dominic McGregor have announced today they are to step down from their roles at Social Chain after six years.
CEO Bartlett and COO McGregor were just 20 and 21 respectively when they became founding members of the Manchester-based social media publishing and marketing company that has since grown to over 750 staff globally and has revenues forecast to hit $200 million this year.
Announcing his stepping down across social media this morning, Steven Bartlett said: “Social Chain was conceived on a small desk in the backroom of the uni I had just dropped out of in Manchester. I was 20, full of wild dreams, and I believed we could take on the world.
“What started as a crazy and sometimes ridiculed idea, in the mind of a few drop-out underdogs, at a time when people didn’t believe in the potential of this new thing called social media.
“As I write this, at 27, we have more than 700 Social Chainers around the world, a world-beating team, we went public last year, we are the best at what we do, and we’ve just posted record numbers. The company is showing unbelievable momentum and I remain Social Chain’s biggest fan, supporter, and believer.
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“I owe an unpayable debt of gratitude to my team, past and present – if it wasn’t for you, my board, our chairman, (and mum and dad), I would be nothing.”
Twitter – Steven Bartlett
In a post to LinkedIn today, Dominic McGregor added: “I’m deeply proud of everything we’ve achieved, the relationships we’ve made and the lessons learned,”
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“Social Chain is a very special company, the growth we’ve seen over the last six years has been quite frankly phenomenal, we recently posted record numbers, and based on some of the exciting things I’ve seen over the last year, the future promises to be even brighter than the past.
“This business has been my rock, even when I faced difficult times in my personal life. The purpose it gave me, and the people I worked with got me through – they gave me something to fight for and without it, and without them, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”
LinkedIn – Dominic McGregor
The pair has overseen exponential growth throughout the past six years at Social Chain.
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The journey may have started with humble beginnings in Manchester, but Social Chain now has bases in London, Berlin, New York and Munich, and works with global brands such as Amazon, Coca Cola and Apple.
It claims an owned media reach of over 2 billion views a month.
Last year, the company merged with German online retailer Lumaland AG to become The Social Chain AG and list on XETRA and the Düsseldorf Stock Exchange, and it recently announced the largest acquisition in its history by taking a 51% stake in A4D Inc – a Southern Californian digital performance marketing agency.
It has been confirmed that Wanja S. Oberhof – currently Co-CEO of Social Chain AG – will retain his position as CEO upon Bartlett’s standing down.
You can find out more about Social Chain AG via its website here.
Business
Evri voted UK’s worst parcel delivery company AGAIN in annual survey
Emily Sergeant
Evri has once again been voted the worst parcel delivery firm in the UK, according to those who voted in an annual survey.
Less than two months after the company unfortunately found itself at the bottom of the 2022 parcel league table for the second year running, meaning it was the worst-performing parcel delivery firm in the country, Evri – which famously rebranded from Hermes in March 2022 after reports of parcel mishandling – has now been handed yet another blow by customers in an annual user survey.
The company performed the worst in MoneySavingExpert’s (MSE) annual poll, which asked users to rate their experience of each delivery firm they had used during the past 12 months.
MSE asked its users to rate each company as either ‘great’, ‘OK’ or ‘poor’.
Evri rated worst parcel delivery firm in our annual service poll. 👎
More than 43,000 users took part in the annual survey, and they casted over 300,000 votes.
Out of the over 300,000 votes casted, Evri received more than 39,000 votes, with 62% rating it as ‘poor’, which is not only up from 48% in 2022, but also “significantly worse” than the other firms at the bottom of the poll, according to MSE.
39% of users rated Yodel as ‘poor’, while 22% rated UK Mail as ‘poor’.
Evri voted UK’s worst parcel delivery company again in annual survey / Credit: Evri
On the other end of the spectrum meanwhile, Amazon Logistics secured the top spot on the poll for a second year in a row, while DPD remained in close second place for a third year, followed by sister company DPD Local.
Overall, five of the 17 firms were rated better this year compared to last year’s poll, according to MSE – with UPS and Fedex UK both rising three places.
However, Royal Mail performed significantly worse this year and dropped from fourth to eighth place.
The company performed the worst in MoneySavingExpert’s annual poll / Credit: Evri
“Evri’s repackaging from Hermes early on in 2022 has clearly not helped it to shake off its past reputation,” admitted Oli Townsend from MoneySavingExpert.com.
“In fact, scoring a poorer rating than the previous year.
“While some firms have really been delivering – quite literally – others have too often fallen short, and we’ve seen many reported issues of long delays, damaged items, or parcels just not turning up at all in recent months.
“So it’s more important than ever for consumers to know their rights and use them.”
Featured Image – Evri
Business
Glazers reportedly seeking ‘full sale’ of Manchester United as bidding war is expected to rev up
Danny Jones
The Glazer family is now reportedly eyeing up a “full sale” of Manchester United as a bidding war for the club is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks and months.
While Man United fans initially rejoiced when they first heard the news that the Glazers would be ‘open to selling‘ the massive sports franchise back in November, there was an underlying feeling of hesitance and scepticism as to the wider details.
Revealing that they had started “to explore strategic alternatives for the club”, a statement from the club clarified that while a sale was possible, other options could simply include “new investment into the club…or other transactions involving the Company.”
However, it now seems that selling off partial shares in the business is unlikely and that the owners are seeking a “full sale” of the club, according to various outlets.
EXCL: – Early indications are that Manchester United process will end in a full sale rather than investment. – Next stage in 3-4 weeks – Interest from US and beyond Story: https://t.co/BB7uTcAZ2s#mufc
As per Sportsmail‘s Mike Keegan, all potential takeover deals are being overseen by US merchant bankers, Raine Group, and are expected to move into the formal stages within the next three to four weeks. These things often move quickly.
He went on to reveal that the Glazer family’s expected asking price of £6 billion and upwards is now looking to closer £8bn, the noises so far point to the likelihood of a full takeover of United, rather than investment in exchange for a stake.
Moreover, while Manc-born billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has become the first to launch an official bid, it is said that there is interest from other investors in the US, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and more.
The key thing to note is that regardless of whether a full sale of United is greenlit, the cost will go far beyond just the figure the Glazers have set, as recent Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard interviews have only further highlighted the clubs ‘outdated’ infrastructure and more.
So, the question remains, does any one of these suitors have the kind of money to take one of the biggest sporting projects in the world?
Emily Sergeant -
17th August 2020 
