Belle Epoque style enters the 21 century May 27, 2010 AT the turn of the last century a visit to the imposing Mont Pelerine Palace in the Swiss Alps was a favourite pastime among wealthy travellers. They arrived by train to the quiet commune of Chardonne before ascending by funicular to the elegant hotel, enjoying the famous local Charennes wine and mingling with New York [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING May 9, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES GARDNER TO TAKE CONNAUGHT ROLE Connaught will today announce Sir Roy Gardner as its new non-executive chairman in a move the social housing maintainance group hopes will stabilise the business after a turbulent six months. The group, which mends leaky pipes in council houses and sweeps roads, was hit by the sudden resignation [...]
Miller Group eases losses March 17, 2010 Miller Group, the UK’s largest privately-owned housebuilder, reported reduced full-year pre-tax losses yesterday in another sign that the housing market is picking up. The Edinburgh-based group saw its pre-tax losses for 2009 decline to £72.4m, from a £170m loss in 2008. The firm saw its sales fall 25 per cent to £783m. Miller’s house-building business [...]
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON IN THE WORLD OF SPIN June 17, 2010 TO THE Kensington home of City slicker Roland Rudd, the boss of PR firm Finsbury, last night for his annual party, one of the highlights of the summer schmoozing circuit. Grandees of the worlds of business and politics were there in their droves for the event, including WPP boss Sir Martin Sorrell; Royal Bank of [...]
London house prices hit by March slump March 14, 2010 HOUSE prices have come to a standstill this month as sellers return to the market after a dismal winter. The latest survey by property website Rightmove shows that UK property is now a buyers’ market and new sellers have been forced to ask for just 0.1 per cent more, the lowest rise ever-recorded in March. [...]
Economic Diary March 7, 2010 IT IS a busy week ahead on the economics front once again. While last week was dominated by central bank decisions from across the world and independent surveys, this week we will see a slew of statistics that may or may not confirm rebounding consumer confidence and output. UK February Sales figures due In the [...]
The grocer who says this year will test retailers as well as shoppers May 31, 2010 Much like the rest of the country, the chief executive of the country’s third largest supermarket group is trying to make up his mind about the coalition government. At the start of the election campaign Sainsbury’s boss Justin King was one of many who backed Tory plans to scrap national insurance hikes for employers, a [...]
UK housing recovery running out of steam March 4, 2010 THERE were yet further concerns yesterday over a double-dip downturn in the UK housing market when mortgage lender Halifax reported that house prices fell 1.5 per cent in February, the first decline in this index since last June. The survey, which comes just days after Nationwide reported that UK property prices fell one per cent, [...]
Savills staff to get £60m bonus payout March 18, 2010 PROPERTY agent Savills is planning a payment of around £60m for staff after a recovery in the UK residential housing market. Savills’ estate agency arm doubled its profit to £6.3m in 2009 with the London market in particular bouncing back. However, pre-tax profit plummeted by almost a quarter across all the company’s operations, including its [...]
Barratt in housing market boost February 24, 2010 HOUSEBUILDER Barratt Developments saw its losses narrow in the second half of the year as the housing market showed further signs of finding its feet. Pre-tax losses came in at £178.4m compared to a loss of £594.5m a year earlier. However, it took a £129.9m hit from finance costs following its £720m placing and rights [...]