City grandee John Connolly reveals Cogital’s rapid expansion, a £1bn target and plans for an IPO October 3, 2017 A rapidly expanding challenger to Britain’s biggest accounting firms will soon be beyond the reach of its Big Four rivals, its founder, the former head of Deloitte, said this morning. John Connolly, also the chair of G4S and Amec Foster Wheeler, told City A.M. Cogital is targeting more than £1bn of revenues and a potential [...]
Buyout giants line up in preparation for the sale of AkzoNobel’s chemical branch October 2, 2017 Some of the world’s largest private equity firms are getting ready to place their bids as AkzoNobel prepares to sell its chemicals arm, City A.M. understands. AkzoNobel, which creates Dulux paints, was subjected to an agressive activist investor campaign earlier this year from hedge fund Elliott Advisors, which pressed the company to accept a takeover [...]
The Lake House, a self-built eco-retreat in Sussex, has ample grounds for entertaining and even has its own helipad September 29, 2017 Dreaming of having a great house is one thing, but those with real ambition dream of a great house with land. And boy, has this house got land. With 21 acres, this self-built five bedroom country home in the village of Plaistow in West Sussex is a fisherman’s dream. It has a three-acre rainbow trout [...]
UK private equity is heading for its strongest year since the financial crisis with £12bn of buyouts September 28, 2017 Private equity investment in UK companies is heading for its strongest year since the financial crisis, as the third quarter of this year saw the highest amount of money invested since 2007. Buyout houses dug into 44 deals worth a combined £12bn between July and September, deploying the most capital in UK businesses for a [...]
What needs to change about housing policy by UK property professionals ahead of party conference season September 15, 2017 Katherine McCullough, development director at Merchant Land “During the political party season, I would like to see some attention given to reviewing what Osborne’s stamp duty reforms have achieved and ideally, to have them reversed in order to help stimulate the housing market at the top end. It would also be encouraging to hear discussion [...]
Lost for words: The indie bookshop has weathered many storms, from the rise of Amazon to rising rents. But its future has never looked so perilous September 7, 2017 Prospero’s Books stood on Crouch End Broadway for 10 years. I remember it, though not well. The bookshops of my childhood memories are all vaguely similar – they were places where I’d be both happy and bored. To hear locals tell it, there wasn’t any sign that Prospero’s was in trouble. It seemed to plod [...]
London house prices: Here’s how far London house prices have fallen due to stamp duty September 7, 2017 Stamp duty has stagnated London’s housing market and pushed down prices, according to research released today. London sales volumes have fallen by seven per cent, and prices in some parts of the capital have fallen by as much as seven per cent, a report by estate agent Aston Chase has found. Read more: Jacob Rees-Mogg [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone and Douglas Barrowman on their delve into the world of cryptocurrency September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]
Baroness Bitcoin of Arabia: Michelle Mone’s delve into the world of cryptocurrency in Dubai apartment complex September 6, 2017 Baroness Michelle Mone, and her billionaire property mogul partner Douglas Barrowman, this morning open the sale of two 40-storey residential towers spanning 2.4m square feet in Dubai. Building a huge complex in the Emirates isn’t itself remarkable – the Middle Eastern playground for the rich is peppered with luxury apartments, largely paid for in state-owned [...]
Focus On Streatham: Where house price growth is nearly 9 per cent year-on-year, twice the London average September 4, 2017 If you have an SW postcode, think of yourself as one of the lucky ones. The average home in south west London now costs over £1m and it’s long been home to some of the most expensive streets in the country. But there is a way to live in an SW postcode without being a [...]