From headline deals like Vodafone-Three or home builder, Barratt buying rival, Redrow, corporate mergers and takeovers are on the rise. Evan Davis and guests take a fresh look at what happens when companies combine. They discuss why deal-making is growing, why execs turn to M&A, what can go wrong and whether mergers deliver growth or simply disguise deeper problems.

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The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University

In the years after the COVID pandemic we are travelling more and expecting more from our journeys. Travel is increasingly viewed as an end-to-end experience that begins before you even set foot on board your flight. As people look to inject luxury into their travel, airport lounge usage has boomed.

But lounges’ rise in popularity has created a unique problem for their operators: how do you grow your customer base whilst maintaining a degree of exclusivity?

Evan Davis speaks to industry operators and experts about balancing the scales.

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The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University

Right now, Artificial Intelligence feels unstoppable. Investors are piling in, expectations are sky-high and claims about a radically different future are everywhere. To anyone who remembers the late 1990s, it all feels strikingly familiar.

Back then, the internet sparked the dotcom boom - a frenzy of big ideas, easy money and soaring valuations. When the bubble burst in 2000, billions were lost and companies wiped out. Yet the core idea proved right - the internet did transform lives, just more slowly and messily than expected. And there are important lessons to be learned.

Evan Davis talks to Ernst Malmsten, co-founder and CEO of boo.com, one of the most high-profile startups of the dotcom era. From his frontline seat in the boom and bust, he shares what really happened and what today’s AI moment can learn from it.

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The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

Every country likes to think it’s world-class at something. The Italians claim style, the Germans have their engineering and the Americans have Silicon Valley - and swagger. So, what about us? What’s Britain’s superpower? It’s a serious question. If we know what the UK is good at, we can play to our strengths and build an economy that pays for the things we all rely on – like hospitals, homes and schools. Evan Davis and guests discuss what Britain does well across culture, innovation and capital. And asks what works, what doesn’t and why it matters.

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The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University.

Frustrated by the lack of sophisticated non-alcoholic drink options, Ben Branson began experimenting in his kitchen, distilling herbs from his garden to create an alcohol-free spirit. Seedlip launched in 2015 and rapidly scaled. In just three and a half years, he took the company from a hobby to a global brand, sold in 35 countries and 30 US states, before selling the business to the drinks giant, Diageo. Ben tells Evan Davis how before all that, he’d tried his hand at a variety of jobs, some of them quite bizarre.

Margaret Heffernan didn’t start out in business. Until her mid-30s, she was enjoying a successful career at the BBC, producing and directing TV dramas and documentaries. But she was always curious about a career in the corporate world. She decided to take the plunge and took on roles in the US. It was as CEO of a tech firm when Margaret discovered she was being paid 50% less than her male counterparts that she faced one of her biggest decisions. As she explains to Evan Davis, should she speak out and risk the consequences or put up and shut up?

(Image: Margaret Heffernan. Credit: mheffernan.com)

When Joey Gonzalez took his first class at Barry’s, West Hollywood, he says “it was love at first sweat”. The music, night-club vibe and high-intensity workout was life-changing.

Joey was convinced he could expand the fitness brand beyond Los Angeles. So, he worked his way up through the company, starting as an instructor and becoming CEO in 2015 - creating Barry’s studios across the US and around the world. And even now, as Executive Chairman, Joey still leads a workout. He tells Evan Davis why his background in musical theatre and performing arts is ideal for being a Barry’s “entertrainer”.

(Image: Joey Gonzalez. Credit: Barry's)

Sameer Vuyyuru has spent his career at the cutting edge of technology. From building semiconductors at Texas Instruments to launching an AI-startup in Shanghai, he’s now chief artificial intelligence and product officer at Capita, the outsourcing giant. An opportunity, he says, to introduce disruptive technology inside an established company. The intrapreneur talks to Evan Davis about the power of AI and the influence his grandfather has had on his life.

(Image: Sameer Veruyyu Credit: Capita)

Harry Destecroix was studying for his PhD at Bristol University when he co-founded Ziylo. Based on 20 years of Bristol chemistry research, the spin-out company created a new technology that can be developed to treat diabetes more effectively. It's a breakthrough that led to its acquisition by pharmaceutical firm, Novo Nordisk, in a deal reportedly worth up to 600 million pounds. Harry has also founded the incubator, Science Creates and is the founding managing partner of SCVC, a venture capital firm. Harry tells Evan Davis why his own experience of spinning out a company has made him passionate to help other early-stage companies in the Bristol area – whether that’s providing lab space, finance or advice.

(Image: Harry Destecroix Credit: Peter Schiazza, Copyright: Science Creates)

Sophie Mirman was thrown in at the deep end when – at the age of 13 – she was in a car accident with her parents. They were both badly injured and, a few years later, Sophie felt she had to find a way to help the family finances.

She started as a very junior secretary in M&S, applied for jobs she says she wasn’t qualified for, and went on to hold the top jobs at Tie Rack, SockShop and Trotters.

She discusses the all-consuming nature of expanding outside the UK and how her more cautious approach these days is, ultimately, more enjoyable.

Producer: Sally Abrahams

(Image: Sophie Mirman. Credit: Pylewell)