London house prices: Property market stalls in September October 21, 2014 The inexorable rise in London’s house market stalled in September according to Sequence, a national estate agency network. The number of transactions fell by one per cent, adding to the body of evidence pointing to a marked slowdown in the London housing market. “What we are seeing is a return to normality in the housing [...]
Savills says housing shortfall to reach 1m without more supply June 4, 2015 The housing shortfall in England is set to reach 1m homes within 10 years, according to new research from a leading estate agent. Savills said that England faces an annual housing shortfall of 100,000, a problem that the estate agent said can only be solved by the government boosting the supply of development land in high-demand locations [...]
City Moves for 24 July 2015 | Who’s switching jobs July 23, 2015 CVC Credit Partners Chris Fowler has been appointed managing director in the asset management and investment firm’s private debt team. Based in London, he joins from GE Capital, where he was managing director in the mid-market leveraged finance origination team. Fowler began his career at Morgan Stanley. Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking The bank has announced [...]
LondonMetric embarks on £26m shopping spree at Marks & Spencer June 2, 2015 LondonMetric said yesterday that it has snapped up a portfolio of five M&S Simply Food stores for £26m, as it boosts its exposure to the booming convenience market. The FTSE 250 retail and distribution warehouse speciality said the acquisitions come on top of a recent letting of 11,300 sq ft to M&S for 20 years [...]
Bestway pays Co-op £620m for pharmacies October 6, 2014 THE CO-OPERATIVE Group completed the sale of its pharmacy business to Bestway for £620m yesterday, with the funds going to pay down some of the mutually owned company’s debts. The completion follows the announcement this summer that Bestway had fought off competition from other suitors for the 774-store chain, including Lloyds Pharmacy, Carlyle Group and [...]
Autumn Statement 2014 round-up: What we know and what to expect December 2, 2014 It is well known that chancellors use their autumn statements to win favor with the electorate and set a policy minefield for the opposition, and this year is shaping up to be no exception. Ever the strategist, George Osborne will look to announce measures to win over key voters and promote the government's message on [...]
This time last year Foxtons was an investor favourite – what happened? December 4, 2014 It was just over a year ago that London estate agent Foxtons became the darling of the London Stock Exchange with a stonkingly successful IPO. Having floated at 230p, valuing it at £649m, shares in the company rose sharply to a peak of 285.5p in its first day of trading. By the end of February, [...]
Focus on Victoria: Grab a prime bargain in SW1 November 27, 2014 Victoria has long been a place of work, but it’s been a while since it’s been a place to live. Dominated by a mixture of grey government office blocks and its various transport hubs, it certainly doesn’t fit the desirable London village trend. But that may be about to change. Developer Land Securities [...]
Mansion tax: The real losers of Labour’s policy may never be identified May 5, 2015 An exciting email pinged into my inbox at the end of last week. It was a link to the contents of the latest issue of the American Economic Association’s journal Economic Policy. For most people, these publications are not usually as gripping as, say, a Ken Follett novel. But nestling among the thickets of algebra, [...]
Hansteen sells industrials fund in £190m deal May 13, 2015 HANSTEEN, the property company chaired by Hambro Bank scion James Hambro, has sold a second batch of UK industrial estates to former Camden Lock Markets owner Brockton Capital. Brockton will join forces with Dunedin Property to take control of the 76 estates in Hansteen’s UK industrial property unit trust II as part of the £192m [...]