Cultures collide on the Jersey shore: The enduring UK weekend getaway October 9, 2015 I got into a taxi in Jersey and asked the driver to take me to The Horizon hotel. “You what?” he said. The Horizon hotel? “Don’t you mean l’oreezon, love?” he replied, breaking into a French patois, mid-sentence. It was then I realised I wasn’t in Blighty anymore. Things are different here; you can’t just [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Maike Currie talks to Jane Andrews about religion, money and fund management March 31, 2016 Britishness dictates that one should never discuss money, politics or religion in polite company. It’s right up there with knowing your place in the queue and keeping up to speed with the weather. But not if you’re having lunch with Jane Andrews, veteran fund manager at investment house Smith & Williamson, who specialises in finding [...]
Nigel Rich to step down as Segro chairman July 28, 2015 Warehouse developer Segro announced yesterday that its chairman Nigel Rich will step down after a decade in the role. The FTSE 250 company, which owns or manages £6.4bn of assets across Europe covering 5.7m square metres, said Rich will retire at the annual general meeting next year. It has already kick-off the search for his [...]
Most British people want to protect the green belt from new housing developments August 3, 2015 Two-thirds of British people want the green belt area surrounding London to remain protected from new housing developments, according to a survey by Ipsos Mori. Read more: London will only solve its housing crisis if we face up to Green Belt myths By asking 845 people whether they thought the protected countryside should be [...]
Rolls-Royce in €80m contract to deliver new British Army tanks May 27, 2015 Power systems manufacturer Rolls-Royce has signed an €80m (£57m) contract with General Dynamics European Land Systems to deliver 589 MTU Series 199 diesel engines for new British Army armoured vehicles. Delivery of the engines is to start in 2016, with the last engines to be delivered in 2022. According to Rolls-Royce, this will be the [...]
British Land sells shopping centre January 22, 2014 British Land said yesterday it has sold its Eastgate Shopping Centre in Basildon to property investment group Infrared Capital Partners for £88.6m. The 700,000 square feet shopping centre is anchored by an Asda supermarket and a Debenhams department store, and also has two office buildings and a 696 space multi-storey car park. Head of retail [...]
New tenant for British Land’s Cheesegrater January 28, 2014 BRITISH Land said yesterday it has secured another tenant at the Cheesegrater skyscraper as the property giant reported growing demand for London office space. Australian serviced office provider Servcorp has signed a deal to take the whole of the 30th floor of British Land and Oxford Properties’ development on Leadenhall Street, which is due to [...]
Aerospace firm Cobham’s shares take off despite 92pc profit drop August 7, 2015 BRITISH aerospace and defence firm Cobham yesterday reported a 92 per cent reduction in pre-tax profit in the first half of the year, despite improved orders and revenue during the period. Profit before tax fell to £4m from £54m in the first six months of 2014. The group said the acquisition of US wireless communications [...]
David Cameron’s housing construction shake-up fails to build market confidence: Experts disagree residential planning overhaul is game changer July 12, 2015 Housing developers had a bit of a rollercoaster ride last week. First the Budget rocked shares, with changes to tax relief on buy-to-let mortgages – and then, on Friday, the government unexpectedly put house building at the centre of its plan to boost the UK’s productivity. With the cost of a home jumping by 45 [...]
Autumn Statement and Spending Review 2015: The verdicts on George Osborne’s proposals November 26, 2015 THE BUSINESS GROUP HEAD CAROLYN FAIRBAIRN, CONFEDERATION OF BRITISH INDUSTRY, DIRECTOR-GENERAL The apprenticeship levy will be a big extra payroll tax on employers and widening the net will hit Britain’s smaller firms. This was a good spending review for longer-term investment in the economy but there’s a sting in the tail in the size and [...]