UK house prices: This is how long you have to sell your house before estate agents lose interest November 24, 2015 Here's another reason to get your ducks in a row before hitting the market with your property. The process might be an arduous one, but the people helping you sell your home apparently have a very short attention span. A new survey suggests estate agents lose interest after just two weeks if a property hasn't received [...]
Starbucks serves up £8m in UK corporation tax after record results December 15, 2015 Starbucks served up £8m in corporation tax to the UK last year after brewing up £34.2m in pre-tax profits. The Seattle-based coffee chain has faced fierce criticism for paying minimal corporation tax since launching in Britain in 1998, after claiming to have never made a profit until last year. In its latest set of results, [...]
London house prices: Luxury apartments in Gatti House on the Strand have broken street’s square footage record October 8, 2015 A new luxury development on the Strand has broken the record for the cost of square footage in the central London district. Grade II listed Gatti House was sold as four separate apartments, with the penthouse going for around £2,260 per sq ft, while the first floor was sold for £2,100 per sq ft. This is thought to be the [...]
African art collection of collapsed oil producer Afren goes on sale at Bonhams October 27, 2015 Afren, the former stock market darling which collapsed into administration earlier this year, is selling its art collection at Bonhams' auction house in London. The collection of 97 works, amassed by Afren over the years, includes pieces from primarily Nigerian artists, with estimated values of up to £8,000. "The story relating to the demise of Afren has ensured that this dispersal has [...]
Hamleys poised to be sold to a relative of House of Fraser’s Chinese billionaire owner October 18, 2015 A Chinese investor is said to be closing in on a deal to buy the UK’s most famous toy store Hamleys in the coming weeks. Ludendo, the French family-owned toy group, is in advanced talks to sell the chain to a Hong Kong company run by a relative of Yuan Yafei, the billionaire owner House [...]
Focus On London Bridge: Why house prices are on the rise next to The Shard December 11, 2015 Children in nursery may sing about London Bridge falling down, but in property circles, it’s building up and the sky’s the limit. The area first became a part of London’s fabric due to its famously crumbly bridge, which was built by the Romans and was the first to cross the Thames. It was originally made [...]
Toy story: Hamleys close to being taken over by owners who are planning department store expansion October 22, 2015 Famous London Toy shop Hamleys is close to being taken over by a Chinese retailer who wants to set up shop in more locations. C.banner International said in a statement today that it is in talks with Ludendo Enterprises, the current owner of the Regent Street giant, which is said to be the oldest toy [...]
Johnston Press boss Ashley Highfield on the i, Lebedev and the future of print media February 17, 2016 It wasn't easy to second guess his opposite number during negotiations for the purchase of the i newspaper, Johnston Press chief executive Ashley Highfield has told City A.M. Speaking about the regional publishing group’s £24.4m acquisition from ESI Media last week, Highfield described it as a “unique” experience with its own particular challenges. “You’re dealing with [...]
UBS got it wrong: There’s no such thing as a London house price bubble November 10, 2015 Is London’s residential property market in a bubble? UBS seems to think so, after its Global Real Estate Bubble index suggested the UK's housing market is on the brink of a crash. But has it got its facts right? After all, the devil is really in the detail – and this was put together by [...]
Top tips for choosing the right tenant for your buy-to-let investment March 17, 2016 So you’ve spent months searching for the perfect property investment and transforming it into a modern, comfortable home. Now it’s time to hand over the keys to a perfect stranger and hope they pay up. Or perhaps you’re upsizing and you’re hoping Mr Rando won’t destroy your beloved first home. But how can you be [...]