EasyMobile.nl flops
Source The Register
Sir Stelios packs his clogs
By Chris Williams
Published Thursday 6th July 2006 14:25 GMT
EasyTycoon Stelios Haji-Ioannou has cut and run from his Netherlands EasyMobile virtual network operation. Customers were notified by no-frills email this morning they have until 1 August to find a new provider.
EasyMobile somehow managed to buck the growth trend in virtual operators in the Netherlands. According to Telecompaper the market has swelled more than 15 per cent over the past year to 2.5m punters. Other newcomers to the market have gained ground quickly, but despite its patriotic orange branding - which Orange wasn’t too pleased with - EasyMobile failed to attract enough price-conscious Dutchmen.
A spokesman for EasyMobile Netherlands confirmed the operation had fallen well short of achieving sales targets since launching its service last year. Some 40 virtual operators compete for business in the Netherlands.
The UK and German EasyMobile networks are still running.
We’re sure Sir Stelios won’t be sobbing into his souvlaki as he counts his tax savings aboard his Monaco yacht. Since the succes of EasyJet, EasyGroup’s “throw enough mud and some of it’ll stick” approach to business start-ups has seen several ventures, including EasyCinema, hit the wall.
tags: easymobile, netherlands, stelios
August 25th, 2006 at 5:00 am
£1m pay-out threat as EasyInternet loses copyright case
EASYINTERNET Cafe, the firm owned by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is facing a possible £1 million claim for damages after being found guilty of copyright infringement.
The chain, which has a branch in Edinburgh, was taken to court by the British Phonographic Industry after it allowed customers to download music from the internet and copy it on to a CD for £5.
The High Court ruling brings to an end an 18-month dispute with the music industry. The BPI, whose members include music labels Sony Music, EMI and Universal Music, launched legal action against the internet chain last year .
EasyInternet suspended the commercial service in September 2001, and in court it said it should not be held liable for customers downloading copyright-protected material, a defence rejected by the judge, Justice Peter Smith.
The court must next determine penalties. EasyInternet previously said the BPI had demanded payment of “as much as £1m” in damages, which it called a form of extortion.
The music industry, which has been fighting an all-out war on illicit CD copying and internet downloading, hailed the judge’s decision.
BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said: “Illegal copying jeopardises the livelihoods of artists and songwriters, as well as putting at risk the thousands of jobs directly and indirectly created by the recording and publishing of music. We are delighted that we have won this ruling, which sets an important precedent .”
EasyInternet, a division of Mr Haji-Ioannou’s privately held EasyGroup, could not be reached for comment.
Last spring, an investigation into eight EasyInternet branches in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Manchester found hundreds of tracks, including songs by Jennifer Lopez and boy band Blue, on computer hard drives.
October 11th, 2006 at 1:54 am
Istithmar Hotels, a subsidiary of Istithmar – an international investment house based in the UAE, has signed a $400 million contract with easyHotel to open a chain of budget hotels across Middle East, North Africa, India and Pakistan.
It recently announced its plans to open eight new easyHotel budget hotels across major metropolitan cities in India over the next four years.
Istithmar denies that easyHotel has a poor reputation in the UK and is completely unknown internationally. Istithmar also believes easyHotel owner the controversial Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou is definately worth backing despite his personal track record of losses running into hundreds of millions of pounds. Istithmar believes easyHotel will turn around a string of failures and does not believe Mr Ioannou to be on the verge of insolvency. Istithmar also has no problem with Mr Ioannou’s previous well known public views against muslims because an individuals personal politics have no bearing on their business skills.
The middle east needs a string of low budget hotels and believes that investing $400 million will ensure easyHotel succeeds where it has so far failed in the UK and Switzerland.
Istithmar, which means investment in Arabic, applies global expertise with local insights to coordinate the appraisal and implementation of various opportunities. Mr Ioannou is due a bit of good luck and Istithmar is willing to gamble and support him despite his recent difficulty.
Istithmar’s ‘I’ investment philosophy is based around three core principles — Ideas, Inquiry & Integrity — sets the foundation for the firm which has a broad portfolio of highly successful companies in markets from North America to Europe to Asia to the Middle East. Istithmar does not believe it’s integrity wil be damaged due to its association with the controversial Mr Ioannou nor by easyHotel’s seedy reputation in the UK. Istithmar considers its investment of $400 million in easyHotel to be secure and expects a return.
Please email info@istithmar.ae if you have any similar investment proposals for us to consider immediate cash is available.