Centrica’s motion tracker service aims to assist unpaid carers. Firm will install devices in homes of elderly, disabled and ill people for monthly fee. British Gas owner Centrica (CNA) is planning to put motion trackers in the homes of elderly, ill and disabled people as part of a service aimed at easing the concerns of millions of unpaid carers. The company has already built a connected home business selling smart thermostats and other devices to more than a million households. In the latest sign of how the UK’s biggest energy company is diversifying away from traditional electricity and gas supply, Centrica’s Hive unit is launching a subscription service to help unpaid carers keep track of those they look after. The service, which costs £15 a month, plus a one-off £150 charge upfront, will involve British Gas engineers fitting sensors in the home of the person being cared for, with their permission. Carers receive alerts via an app if anything out of the usual routine happens, such as a kettle not being switched on at the same time each day or a room not being entered.
Superdry feels the heat long after summer slump. There is at least someone looking forward to winter. The management at Superdry (SDRY), the retailer that has become synonymous with multiple zips and Japanese characters, blamed the warm weather this summer for its muted financial performance as people became hesitant to spend on new, snug jackets while the sun continued to shine. This week the company announces interim results, having already issued a profit warning that prompted a drop in the price of shares in October. Last month it said that while winter had come to some markets, there had been no “sustained period of seasonally typical weather”. Meanwhile, Julian Dunkerton, one of the company’s founders, has emerged from the wings to make it known that he thinks things are going in the wrong direction and that he should be brought back into the fold, having resigned from the board in May to look after his other interests.
