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John Gapper

Business columnist

John Gapper is business columnist of the FT Weekend. He writes a weekly column on business and society from a consumer perspective, and other features and interviews.

He was formerly the FT's chief business commentator and opinion & analysis editor. He has worked for the FT since 1987 in London, New York and Tokyo, and has covered banking, media and technology and employment.

Email John Gapper @johngapper (link opens in a new browser window)
Email John Gapper @johngapper (link opens in a new browser window)

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  • Friday, 27 November, 2020
    FT SeriesFestive Food & Drink
    Being the Christmas Day chef: a ritual to relish

    Eating the feast is a pleasure but preparing it is a reward

  • Friday, 27 November, 2020
    Coronavirus treatment
    Those who get vaccinated deserve more freedom

    Airlines and employers that ask for proof of coronavirus immunity will be acting in the public interest

  • Friday, 20 November, 2020
    Media
    The hit machine has to learn from history

    The value of music catalogues and book backlists is overtaking an obsession with new bestsellers

  • Friday, 13 November, 2020
    Retail sector
    Shopping malls need to travel back to the future

    Customers will return to physical stores after the pandemic, but suburban retail boxes are beyond rescue

  • Friday, 6 November, 2020
    Lunch with the FT
    Fiona Shackleton: ‘Divorce is either quick torture or slow torture’

    The lawyer for royals and the ultra-rich on the pandemic boom in break-ups — and why she still believes in marriage

  • Friday, 6 November, 2020
    Ferrari NV
    The fossil-fuel Ferrari is running out of road

    Electric sports cars accelerate fast, even if they lack the throaty roar of the traditional luxury coupe

  • Friday, 30 October, 2020
    Innovation
    Ant and Covid have made the humble QR code a hit

    The cheap and flexible successor to the supermarket barcode has earned its second chance

  • Friday, 23 October, 2020
    Health
    Constant Covid cleaning carries its own dangers

    Soap and disinfectant for the home are selling fast but not all microbes should be wiped out

  • Friday, 16 October, 2020
    BTS
    Beware the fierce devotion of the world’s K-pop fans

    Boy band followers are becoming more exacting and willing to bite back online

  • Promoted Content
  • Wednesday, 14 October, 2020
    ObituaryJohn Baring
    Lord Ashburton, banker, 1928-2020

    A rational and modest man who restored Barings in the 1970s and 1980s before its collapse in 1995 as a result of Nick Leeson’s rogue trading

  • Friday, 9 October, 2020
    Beer and spirits
    Technology cannot distil whisky’s old romance

    Silicon Valley makes spirits faster than in oak barrels but history is hard to replicate

  • Saturday, 3 October, 2020
    FT SeriesFantasy dinner parties
    John Gapper’s fantasy dinner: Joseph Bazalgette and Rosalind Franklin

    His eclectic guests tackle science, art and technology with a striking Victorian backdrop

  • Friday, 2 October, 2020
    Gambling industry
    Las Vegas has come to your mobile phone

    Online sports betting is a harmless pleasure for most fans but it is easy to get addicted

  • Tuesday, 29 September, 2020
    FT Books Essay
    The enduring attraction of cities

    The pandemic once again has us questioning the wisdom of urban living. But four new books help explain its appeal

  • Friday, 25 September, 2020
    Food diet
    Look before you eat from the healthy snacks aisle

    It is worth reading the small print on today’s cornucopia of protein bars, baked puffs and vegan treats

  • Friday, 18 September, 2020
    Retail & Consumer industry
    Forced labour is the price of a cheap cotton T-shirt

    Human rights abuses in China and other countries are encouraged by our shopping habits

  • Wednesday, 29 July, 2020
    ReviewNon-Fiction
    Champagne potlatch: the elite ‘models and bottles’ nightclubs

    An academic’s entertaining study of the global party scene reveals the gritty truth behind our new gilded age

  • Wednesday, 17 June, 2020
    ReviewHistory books
    Enemy of All Mankind — pirates and a 17th-century global manhunt

    Steven Johnson’s history revisits a violent high-seas raid that changed the course of British history

  • Saturday, 23 May, 2020
    How To Spend It
    Splendid isolation: a surreal sakura season

    Millions were expected to descend on Japan to see the annual cherry blossom blooms. But this year, things were different…

  • Sunday, 10 May, 2020
    AnalysisNikkei Asia
    Yoshida’s steady hand steers Sony through virus and activist attacks

    New PlayStation launch clouded by pandemic as company seeks to revive innovation

  • Sunday, 19 January, 2020
    AnalysisNikkei Asia
    What Japan Inc really thinks about Carlos Ghosn Premium

    Downfall of carmaker’s former boss sets up clash between country’s old guard and its reformists

  • Friday, 3 January, 2020
    Screen time: a photography special
    How we all became screen obsessives

    Phones, TV and games constantly vie for our attention — but how much do they add to our lives?

  • Friday, 27 December, 2019
    House & Home
    The trends that shaped a decade of domestic life

    From high-tech to hygge, our homes changed at top speed in the 2010s — what will the 2020s bring?

  • Wednesday, 18 December, 2019
    Innovation
    Goodbye to all that creative destruction

    In 16 years of columns on business, the only constant has been disruptive innovation

  • Thursday, 12 December, 2019
    FT Magazine
    Inside LBC: the radio station capturing the political zeitgeist

    In a polarised time, the broadcaster has won listeners by embracing confrontation

Previous You are on page 1 Next

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