'Old guard' businesses have plenty to offer sustainable economy start-ups

"All the old companies need to fit into the new economy." That's what I heard from Zipcar founder Robin Chase, upon returning from Christmas break, to discover that rental car giant Avis had acquired the car-sharing upstart. Only as I began to process what this might mean for my favourite way to move a sofa-bed around London, Mike Barry at Marks & Spencer tweeted that 'old economy businesses' are buying into the new economy, citing Avis as the latest taker. After hearing these two, my fears of a Zipcar-as-walking-dead scenario subsided. I started to wonder what the Zipcar's views are on the qualities an 'old guard' business can bring to a partnership with seemingly incompatible new economy ventures. read more