There’s only one way to fix the housing crisis: build more January 9, 2019 From free marketeers on the right to proponents of central planning on the left, cries to fix Britain’s broken housing market have become deafening. The solutions, of course, differ greatly depending on where along the political spectrum you stand. Yesterday, for example, Shelter issued its latest call to action, proposing three million new social homes [...]
A year on from Carillion: 12 months that brought outsourcing to its knees January 15, 2019 On the anniversary of Carillion’s dramatic collapse, two more public sector outsourcing giants, Interserve and Kier Group, are up against the ropes. In the intervening 12 months, outsourcers have lurched from one crisis to another, with profit warnings, massive project failures and revelations of systemic late payment of suppliers. City A.M. charts a year which [...]
How McCarthy & Stone’s new boss plans to turn around the fortunes of Britain’s largest retirement housebuilder January 7, 2019 As the boss of a FTSE 250 housebuilder which has just passed through a year to forget, John Tonkiss is surprisingly upbeat. For the new chief executive of McCarthy & Stone is a man with a plan, and he thinks it will turn around the fortunes of Britain’s biggest provider of retirement homes. It concerns [...]
Debate: Following a share price dive, should we be worried about Interserve’s future? November 15, 2018 Debate: Following a share price dive, should we be worried about Interserve’s future? Yes – John Tizard is an independent strategic adviser. Interserve’s story seems to have some parallels with Carillion. Construction firms appear to find public service outsourcing challenging, with problems caused by clashes in culture and different expectations for margins. Contracts must be [...]
Balfour Beatty keep bouncing back August 23, 2018 Balfour Beatty shares are higher since the company revealed a 69% jump in first-half operating profit last week. Revenue dipped by 8.5%, but higher margins and lower costs helped the company boost earnings. The interim dividend was upped by 33% to 1.6p, which admittedly isn’t a huge pay-out, but it highlights the company’s ability to [...]
Cost-cutting overhaul unveiled as McCarthy & Stone shares climb September 25, 2018 McCarthy & Stone shares climbed more than seven per cent in morning trading, after the retirement housebuilder unveiled a new direction which is to focus more on cost-cutting and less on expansion. As part of the overhaul the FTSE 250 firm said that John Tonkiss, the company’s chief operating officer, will take over as [...]
Debenhams’ Christmas sales slip as it continues talks with lenders over its future January 10, 2019 Sales at troubled department store chain Debenhams dived over Christmas, its latest trading update revealed today, sending its share price even lower. In the 18 weeks to 5 January like-for-like sales fell 5.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. Read more: These are the high street retailers that collapsed in 2018 The [...]
Is DIY investing a cheap trick? December 6, 2018 As passive investors, we sometimes get asked by clients and prospects: “Why don’t I just invest in passive funds and exchanged-traded funds (ETFs) directly myself?” And at first glance, DIY investing may seem like the cheapest way to invest. But some professional services can actually work out as a much more cost-effective means of investing, [...]
Editor’s Notes: The future of capitalism deserves more debate than a few viral tweets March 15, 2019 The desk in my office is groaning under the weight of books. They’re stacked up around the computer screens and at risk of blocking out natural light. I suppose it’s an appropriate look for an editor, though the scene has not been constructed deliberately. Indeed, none of these books have been read. They are unsolicited, [...]
Gulf Marine sinks like a stone as shares drop 75 per cent December 19, 2018 Gulf Marine Services dropped sharply today, falling by around three quarters as the company warned it would be unable to meet its obligations to lenders as increased competition hit its business. The firm, which provides services to the energy sector, lost 74.7 per cent of its £113.5m market value. Shares fell as low as 8.04p, their lowest [...]