Marks & Spencer unveils plans to replace retail space with offices at Marble Arch store March 9, 2021 Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled plans to redevelop its Marble Arch store, with some retail space set to be replaced by offices. Under proposals announced this afternoon, M&S said the lower levels of the West End store would remain as retail space offering its food and clothing and home ranges. However, the upper floors [...]
Over 50s aren’t staying out of work because they’re sick – it’s because they’re rich March 10, 2023 Britain’s stagnant workforce, with 270,000 economically inactive over 50s, is keeping our productivity down. But to get them back in the labour market, we need to let them stay out of the office, writes Ben Cope.
The office must now sing for its supper: making the workplace about the individual, not the collective March 8, 2021 One striking feature of the pandemic has been the volume of ink spilled debating the future of the office. The huge and rapid shift to working from home for large sectors of the economy made not only individual employees but companies as well look around themselves and say, “This seems to work: should we have [...]
Why it’s too soon to scrap the office December 14, 2020 The fraction of the UK workforce currently working from home stands at around a third — far above pre-pandemic level of just five per cent. Productivity seems to have remained largely stable since the great shift to remote work. And it has proved popular with many workers, who have seen immediate benefits such as greater [...]
WeWork: Vaccine rollout must herald a phased return to offices before June March 5, 2021 Following the news the highly effective coronavirus vaccines would begin to be rolled out in Britain, the stock market surged on a wave of optimism and the hope a return to normal, and by extension, the workplace, was within our grasp. Alongside the roadmap out of lockdown, we can now see a light at the [...]
British Chambers of Commerce appoints Cabinet Office civil servant as new director general March 5, 2021 The British Chambers of Commerce has appointed Cabinet Office senior civil servant Shevaun Haviland as its new director general. Haviland will take over from Dr Adam Marshall, who is set to step down at the end of March after five years in the role. She will join the BCC from the Cabinet Office, where she [...]
Office Politics: Apprenticeships aren’t the only way to nurture young talent February 9, 2021 This week is National Apprenticeships Week – a focal point of the national drive to make more training accessible for young people. But rather than a laser-like focus on apprenticeships or to focus on the Kickstart false-start – what it should be about is businesses recognising that apprenticeships aren’t the only way, and there are [...]
British Land appoints new chief financial officer from Tesco January 19, 2021 London-based retail landlord British Land has made Bhavesh Mistry its new chief financial officer. Mistry is expected to join British Land no later than 1 August 2021. Until he joins David Walker will continue in his role as interim CFO. The incoming CFO is currently deputy chief financial officer at Tesco, a position has had [...]
Uptick in central London office interest offers hope to struggling businesses January 18, 2021 There was an uptick in interest in London office properties at the end of 2020, offering city centre firms hope that the end of the remote-working boom is on the horizon. The latest research by real estate giant JLL showed that there had been a “significant” jump in viewings and negotiations, suggesting recovery could be [...]
Whitehall agrees deal to set up hybrid offices as civil servants push to keep remote working April 5, 2021 Whitehall agrees deal to set up hybrid offices as civil servants push to keep remote working