Latest news with #JackRichardson
Fashion Network
21-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Pentland's Ellesse becomes official tennis apparel partner of Cincinnati Open
For two weeks in August, Cincinnati will have Ellesse written all over it. Well at least a specific part of the Ohio city, the Lindner Center, where tennis's 2025 Cincinnati Open takes place and where the Italian fashion sportswear brand will become the event's official partner. Importantly, this 'milestone partnership' marks the return of Ellesse to the US market 'by reinforcing the brand's rich tennis heritage and its iconic Italian style to a new generation of players and fans', the brand said. As the tournament's apparel partner, Ellesse will provide the outfits for the 'ball crew', line judges, officials, volunteers and staff. The brand will also serve as the principal sponsor of the event's inaugural Ellesse Junior Championships, 'an exciting new platform to spotlight the future stars of the sport and deepen Ellesse's commitment to championing tennis at every level'. 'With a celebrated history in tennis and a commitment to quality and design, the brand's debut at the Cincinnati Open marks a bold new chapter in its return to centre court' the brand said. The event comes ahead of Ellesse debuting a new premium collection for Spring 2026, presented as a 'refined fusion of on- and off-court apparel, seamlessly blending athletic performance with elevated, contemporary design'. Jack Richardson, SVP & brand president at Ellesse, said: 'Partnering with the Cincinnati Open represents a major step forward in Ellesse's global tennis revival. We're honoured to dress the individuals who bring this tournament to life and to contribute to one of the sport's most beloved summer events with energy, style and confidence and are thrilled to bring this all to life through our US partner [The Iconic Brand Corporation, which holds the US Ellesse license].' Duwayne Miller, CEO of TIBC, added: 'This represents a major step forward in Ellesse's tennis revival.'
Fashion Network
16-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Pentland's Ellesse becomes official tennis apparel partner of Cincinnati Open
For two weeks in July, Cincinnati will have Ellesse written all over it. Well at least a specific part of the Ohio city, the Lindner Center, where tennis's 2025 Cincinnati Open takes place and where the Italian fashion sportswear brand will become the event's official partner. Importantly, this 'milestone partnership' marks the return of Ellesse to the US market 'by reinforcing the brand's rich tennis heritage and its iconic Italian style to a new generation of players and fans', the brand said. As the tournament's apparel partner, Ellesse will provide the outfits for the 'ball crew', line judges, officials, volunteers and staff. The brand will also serve as the principal sponsor of the event's inaugural Ellesse Junior Championships, 'an exciting new platform to spotlight the future stars of the sport and deepen Ellesse's commitment to championing tennis at every level'. 'With a celebrated history in tennis and a commitment to quality and design, the brand's debut at the Cincinnati Open marks a bold new chapter in its return to centre court' the brand said. The event comes ahead of Ellesse debuting a new premium collection for Spring 2026, presented as a 'refined fusion of on- and off-court apparel, seamlessly blending athletic performance with elevated, contemporary design'. Jack Richardson, SVP & brand president at Ellesse, said: 'Partnering with the Cincinnati Open represents a major step forward in Ellesse's global tennis revival. We're honoured to dress the individuals who bring this tournament to life and to contribute to one of the sport's most beloved summer events with energy, style and confidence and are thrilled to bring this all to life through our US partner [The Iconic Brand Corporation, which holds the US Ellesse license].' Duwayne Miller, CEO of TIBC, added: 'This represents a major step forward in Ellesse's tennis revival.'
The National
09-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Octopus Energy boss slams UK Government zonal pricing snub
The Energy Security Secretary has allegedly binned plans to introduce zonal pricing, which Octopus Energy has repeatedly claimed could have given Scots some of the cheapest electricity in Europe and boost the economy. The scheme would have split the UK into regions based on local supply and demand, meaning Scotland would likely have benefitted enormously due to an abundance of renewables. The UK Government has said it will not comment on reports it has branded as "speculation". Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, has been a prominent campaigner for introducing zonal pricing, having constantly highlighted how windfarms are often paid not to generate energy because they are built where there is insufficient grid. READ MORE: What is the point of Octopus Energy's wasted wind tracker? On the back of the latest reports, he tweeted: 'Britain's broken energy system. Companies built windfarms where there's no grid and you pay them to not generate. 'Soaring costs, locked in for years to come, and more on the way. 'It's not good enough to sigh. Something must change. It's brutal for families and crippling for growth.' Jack Richardson, head of policy at Octopus, accused the UK Government of 'capitulating' to lobbying from major generators. He posted on Twitter/X: 'Taking zonal off the table against the advice of NESO [National Energy System Operator], then doing loads of complicated, costly stuff to try to get the benefits of zonal pricing, shows the government knows zonal is the right thing to do but it is capitulating to all the backstage lobbying.' Octopus Energy has recently launched a "wasted wind" tracker to show the public how much billpayers' money is being spent on turning off windfarms. Ed Miliband has reportedly abandoned plans to introduce zonal pricing (Image: PA) According to the energy provider, constraint costs have hit almost £700 million already this year. Despite claims from opponents that zonal pricing would turn the UK energy market into a postcode lottery, analysis showed earlier this year that households in Scotland will already be paying more for electricity in the next year than those living in London. Consumers in north Wales and Merseyside will pay £120 more than households in London for their electricity over the coming year, Cornwall Insight forecasts, while those in the north of Scotland will pay £96 more than those in the capital. The differentials stem from variation in the charges levied on bills to fund the upkeep of Britain's 14 regional electricity distribution networks, which are regulated by Ofgem. Zonal pricing could have cut the cost of renewing and updating the country's electricity grid by billions. READ MORE: Insider lifts lid on workings of Corbyn-Sultana project in Scotland A report by FTI Consulting predicted overall savings of £52 billion for consumers over 20 years, while another, which was commissioned by Octopus, found the UK would need to spend £27bn less on major grid upgrades in the future. Former Alba MSP Neale Hanvey said: 'Under the 'broad shoulders of the UK', Scotland is being robbed of our vast energy wealth while handing exorbitant profits to the big energy companies. 'Our people are paying up to three times as much for energy as they should as Ed Miliband abandons 'zonal pricing' plans.' Former MP Angus MacNeil accused Labour of 'short-term thinking' and called for Scotland to be in control of its own energy policy. He said: 'Scotland is a net exporter of electricity, yet energy bills in Scotland are higher than anywhere else in the UK. 'Zonal pricing was a modest, common-sense reform that would have recognised Scotland's role in powering the UK and brought long-overdue fairness to our bills. 'By caving to pressure from the energy giants and abandoning a policy that would have incentivised clean energy use in the right places, Labour are undermining their own climate agenda. It is short-term thinking at its worst. 'Scotland deserves better. We deserve control over our own energy policy, one that puts the needs of our communities first, not last. It is clear the only way we can do that is by becoming an independent country.' When asked for comment, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it does not comment on 'speculation'.
The National
08-07-2025
- Business
- The National
What is the point of Octopus Energy's wasted wind tracker?
If you go to the Octopus website, you will see a tracker which shows that so far in 2025 Britain has wasted almost £700 million switching off wind turbines and paying gas plants to switch on. If you dive further into the tracker, you can see how much each day is being spent on wasted wind. On Tuesday, it was well over £1.1m. This is the equivalent of around 8411 MWh, which Octopus claims is enough to power Birmingham for one day. Cue mind-blown emoji. What's going on here and why has Octopus launched this tracker? We spoke to the company's head of policy Jack Richardson to find out more. Why has Octopus launched a wasted wind tracker? Octopus Energy has been pushing for reform of the UK energy system for years and it is well-known as being a leading campaigner for zonal pricing. Zonal pricing would split the UK into price regions based on local supply and demand. Energy consumers would pay less for electricity if they are based close to electricity projects but more if they are based further away, meaning Scotland – with its abundance of renewables – could benefit enormously. READ MORE: Ex-Irish taoiseach says he's 'never been so glad' Ireland out of Nato But right now the UK has one national energy price despite the cost of producing electricity differing throughout the day across the country. If an offshore wind farm in Scotland produces more electricity than the network can handle it is paid to turn off, or be "constrained", and a gas-fired power plant in the south of England is paid to turn on. It is this baffling point that Octopus is trying to drive home with its new tracker – your money is going down the drain because the UK energy market isn't fit for purpose anymore. Richardson said: 'The data is on our side, as you can see with wasted wind we've gone from constraints of £170 million in 2010 to over £1.5 billion for wind last year. 'We're nearly at £700m already this year and Niso [Energy] said we're on track for up to £8bn by 2030. 'So we know that zonal fixes that, that's why we're publishing the data to hold the other side's feet to the fire because they haven't actually come up with any alternative solutions yet, they've just said zonal is the wrong idea.' Niche subject, big impact Richardson admits that while Octopus has been shouting about how much money is being wasted on constraining wind farms for some time, it is often hard for such a niche topic to secure bandwith in a news agenda of global conflict and economic struggles. But cut through it must as it is having a huge impact on people's finances and Richardson hopes this tracker will drive home that point. (Image: Octopus Energy) 'The message is if we stick with the current system that's no longer fit for purpose and was designed for an age of big coal plants, big nuclear and gas plants, in the middle of the country, then we will get big bill rises the public have to pay,' he said. READ MORE: Forecaster sets out bleak picture for economy under Labour's watch He went on: 'This is a debate about electricity markets so it's very niche and most people will ignore it, so I guess it's a way to show that yes, it's complicated, but it's having a big impact on people's lives, it's taking money out of people's pockets completely unnecessarily. 'We still go into some government departments, and they still don't quite know what's going on and when we tell them how wasteful the system is getting, they get pretty shocked.' Zonal more efficient than grid investment Last week it was announced energy bills are set to rise despite billions of pounds of investment to upgrade grid infrastructure. Britain's energy watchdog Ofgem has given the go-ahead to an initial £24 billion of investment to upgrade UK energy infrastructure, but revealed the move will push up network charges on household bills by more than £100. Richardson explained how zonal pricing could save a huge chunk of money in new infrastructure and give Scotland a much better deal. 'Zonal pricing would mean you need to build less grid,' he said. 'We had a report out finding that over 20 years you can spend up to £27bn less on the grid. 'In Scotland, the game at the moment is you've built all this very cheap wind energy and now we're going to build an extraordinary amount of grid to bring it all south, and in the meantime, we're going to switch off a bunch of wind farms. 'The plan at the moment is build a flabby grid to bring down all the power from Scotland rather than just cut bills everywhere and let Scotland have the cheap energy it's built.' Preventing over tweaking Octopus says a decision on whether the UK is going to bring in zonal pricing or simply try to reform national pricing is imminent. But Richardson believes no amount of tweaking will ever be enough to fix the broken system compared to adopting zonal. 'If you keep the national price and whole aim of the game is to just tweak the outcomes rather than prevent bad outcomes in the first place then that's always going to be inherently more inefficient,' he said.
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Americans hold ‘friendship flotilla' to support Canada
Ottawa Watch Residents of Ogdensburg, N.Y. gathered to show their support for Canada through a 'Friendship Flotilla.' CTV's Jack Richardson reports.
