Facebook and Google duopoly is ‘too powerful’ says CMA boss February 23, 2021 Facebook and Google’s duopoly is too powerful, and the pair have too great a share of the UK online advertising space, CMA boss Andrea Coscelli has said. Speaking to the BBC, Coscelli said he would like to see regulatory changes to deal with their market dominance, but stopped short of saying the giants should be [...]
NatWest issues €1bn affordable housing bond in ESG push February 23, 2021 NatWest Group is issuing a €1bn affordable housing bond, the first of any kind issued by a UK bank. The proceeds of the bond will be allocated to non-profit housing associations which provide access to affordable housing. The selected associations provide affordable rent, supported housing and shared property schemes. They own around 150,000 units of [...]
UK housing transactions slump in January as lockdown implemented February 23, 2021 UK housing transactions slumped last month due to the impact of national lockdown restrictions, according to the latest figures. HM Revenue and Customs data showed the provisional seasonally adjusted estimate of UK residential transactions in January was 121,640, a drop of 2.4 per cent compared to the previous month. The month-on-month drop is a typical [...]
Survive the last months of lockdown with 35 amazing delivery kits February 23, 2021 Almost a year since the first lockdown, the restaurant world has been forced to change in ways that would have seemed laughable in the pre-Covid times. Top chefs including Simon Rogan are now launching successful at-home delivery platforms that promise to change the face of fine dining for years to come. We have sampled some [...]
What is the Global Travel Taskforce and what can we expect from its report? February 23, 2021 Possibly the most widely cheered of the announcements in yesterday’s roadmap out of lockdown was the suggestion that international travel could begin again on 17 May. Although Boris Johnson cautioned that this would be subject to a number of conditions, airlines, travel firms, and holidaymakers alike rejoiced at the prospect of a full summer holiday [...]
Facebook reverses Australia news ban after law changes February 23, 2021 Facebook has backed down in its feud with Australia after negotiating changes to a new law that will force tech firms to pay publishers for news. The social media giant last week blocked access to news in the country in protest at the upcoming legislation, drawing widespread criticism. But following talks between the government and [...]
Business rates from the 16th century are ruining the high-street and an online sales tax isn’t enough February 23, 2021 The pandemic is in many ways not a break from the past but a rapid accelerator, and nowhere has the world sped up as much as in our shopping habits. In the last year, more retail sales shifted onto the internet than had done so in the previous decade. UK consumers spent £24 in every [...]
Boris Johnson indicates furlough scheme will be extended past April February 22, 2021 Boris Johnson has today vowed “not to pull the rug out” on people receiving emergency Covid support, indicating that he will extend the furlough scheme and other measures past April. Johnson outlined England’s roadmap out of the current Covid lockdown, telling MPs that the easing of lockdown would be a “one way road to freedom”. [...]
Student housing firm Scape signs £500m joint venture with pension investor APG to fund expansion February 22, 2021 Student accommodation developer Scape has secured a £500m joint venture with pension investor APG to fund its expansion into mainstream housing. The joint venture is seeded with around 1,000 student rooms in London and the south east, a £250m mixed use residential and student development in Canada Water and the first Scape mainstream project in [...]
Onthemarket toasts pandemic property boom with strong hike in revenue February 22, 2021 Onthemarket has hailed a busy year of house-hunting during the pandemic, as the property platform reported a surge in revenue for the year to 31 January. Onthemarket said it expected full-year adjusted revenue to be around £22.5m, marking a 20 per cent year-on-year hike during the pandemic. It also expects adjusted operating profit for the [...]