Parliament scraps plans to exempt its own bars from 10pm curfew September 28, 2020 Parliament has U-turned on a decision to allow the sale of alcohol on its premises after 10pm despite a nationwide curfew, following furious backlash from MPs and unions. Licenced bars and catering facilities within the Parliamentary estate had initially been allowed to stay open after the 10pm deadline after ministers argued that MPs and peers [...]
Crest Nicholson cuts 130 jobs as it suffers £51m loss in first half of the year June 24, 2020 Housebuilder Crest Nicholson is looking to axe around 130 jobs after reporting a £51m loss in the first half of the year. The figures Crest Nicholson suffered losses of £51m in the six months to April, compared to a £64m profit in the same period last year. Operating profit sunk 162.1 per cent from a [...]
UK housebuilders race to return to work after government eases restrictions May 14, 2020 Some of the UK’s biggest housebuilders have revealed plans to return to work after the government removed lockdown restrictions on the property market. FTSE 100 housebuilder Persimmon said this morning that its sales offices in England will reopen from tomorrow with social distancing measures in place. It comes after the government removed restrictions to allow [...]
UK house prices dip in April as coronavirus lockdown brings market to standstill May 7, 2020 UK house prices dipped in April as property market was brought to a standstill by the coronavirus lockdown, however property expects expected buyers and sellers to return “in droves” when restrictions are lifted. UK house prices fell 0.6 per cent in April compared to the previous month, dropping to an average price of £238,511. On [...]
Estate agent LSL Property Services reports ‘extremely encouraging’ July trading August 5, 2020 Estate agent LSL Property Services, the owner of Your Move and Reeds Rains, reported “extremely encouraging” trading in July after the housing market reopened. The figures In the six months to 30 June, group underlying operating profit was up £300,000 to £12.5m. The figure does not include coronavirus-related costs of £2.8m. It also does not [...]
Coronavirus: Pandemic heaps uncertainty on house price growth March 16, 2020 The UK’s coronavirus outbreak has heaped uncertainty on London’s housing market, which had started to rally following the Conservative general election victory. The price of property coming to market in the capital surged 5.1 per cent year on year last month to an average of £638,826, the highest annual rate of growth since May 2016. [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]
Shoppers spend extra £524m at UK supermarkets in April April 28, 2020 Shoppers spent an extra £524m at UK supermarkets during the coronavirus lockdown compared to April last year. Grocery sales soared 9.1 per cent in the 12 weeks to 19 April, which were £524m higher in the past four weeks than they were in April 2019. Households made a record low 14 trips to UK supermarkets [...]
Nobel Prize in economics: What is auction theory and why is it important? October 12, 2020 US academics Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson have won the 2020 Nobel Prize in economics for their groundbreaking work on the theory and practice of auctions. Milgrom and Wilson, 72 and 83 respectively, are both professors at Stanford University in California. They will split the 10m krona (£850,000) prize and each receive a gold medal. [...]
Property stocks jump as restrictions on UK housing market ease May 13, 2020 Estate agent and housebuilder stocks soared this morning after the government last night loosened lockdown restrictions on the UK housing market. Shares in London estate agent Foxtons surged 8.31 per cent to 43.65p and online platform Purplebricks’ stock soared 11 per cent to 37.86p. LSL Property Services, the owner of Your Move and Reeds Rains, [...]