Songbird Estates rejects Qatar bid: Investors way off with Canary Wharf proposal November 10, 2014 Songbird Estates, the majority shareholder of London’s Canary Wharf, values itself at over 25 per cent more than the recently rejected £2.2bn takeover bid from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Brookfield Property Partners. Songbird – which owns 69 per cent of Canary Wharf Group, the owner of the east London-based financial district—rebuffed the takeover [...]
Qatar hopes to woo Songbird with higher bid December 4, 2014 QATAR Investment Authority (QIA) and Brookfield Property Partners have gone hostile in their attempt to take control of Canary Wharf’s owner after taking a higher offer of 350p last night directly to shareholders. The final all-cash offer for Songbird Estates, which came just hours before a deadline to submit revised bids, values the company at [...]
Working lunch in Canary Wharf: Iberica, Cabot Square July 14, 2015 Our guide to the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Sophisticated tapas in a sparse, rustic setting. Think massive contemporary light fixtures and hunks of meat served on chopping boards. WHERE? A vast industrial space just off Cabot Square in Canary Wharf. It has [...]
Can you get this Plymouth graduate a job? International student touts for work outside Canary Wharf station September 10, 2015 There's a growing trend for touting one’s talents at Tube stations. It started last year, when new graduate Alfred Ajani was struggling to find a job, so took a hands-on approach and stood outside Waterloo station during rush hour until nabbing his first job at recruiter Asoria Group. Since then, the stunt has [...]
Major investor backs Qatar’s bid for Canary Wharf owner Songbird Estates December 8, 2014 The Qatari sovereign wealth fund and its partner Brookfield's joint £2.6bn bid for Canary Wharf owner Songbird Estates has been provisionally accepted by Madison International Realty. Madison International Realty owns about 2.5 per cent of the company's stock and around 12 per cent of the free-floating shares. This, in addition to an earlier acceptance by [...]
The answer to London’s housing crisis? 263 new towers could transform city’s skyline March 16, 2015 London's traditionally low-rise skyline is experiencing a boom in the number of tall buildings being built, with most of these residential as developers scramble to meet housing demand from the capital’s growing population. Research from think tank New London Architecture (NLA) and consultants GL Hearn shows 263 tall buildings over 20 storeys high are [...]
Canary Wharf suitors look to one shareholder to back £2.6bn bid December 7, 2014 The two bidders for Canary Wharf, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Brookfield Property Partners, are hoping to persuade one major shareholder in the east London-based financial district to accept their takeover bid. The pair made a new hostile takeover offer for Canary Wharf-owner Songbird Estates directly to shareholders on Thursday, worth 350 pence-a-share. Songbird subsequently [...]
Qatar makes £1.6bn bid for Canary Wharf owner Songbird November 6, 2014 Qatar wants to buy up Canary Wharf in a £1.6bn deal, showing the oil rich state’s determined interest in snapping up vast chunks of valuable and iconic London property. The deal would be one of the biggest property sales ever in the UK, and will extend Qatar’s reach over London landmarks, which already includes the [...]
Canary Wharf owner Songbird Estates says revised £2.6bn Qatar offer is not enough December 5, 2014 Canary Wharf owner and takeover target Songbird Estates has said a revised offer of 350p per share made by the Qatari sovereign wealth fund late yesterday undervalues the company. The board of Songbird said the new cash bid valuing the firm at £2.6bn “does not reflect the full value of the company, its unique position and [...]
Can we please just stop putting pop-up beaches everywhere? July 31, 2015 WHEN will this trend of making pop-up beaches in office courtyards end? This summer has seen beaches inexplicably appearing all over London’s financial districts, from Canary Wharf’s beach volleyball to Finsbury Park’s beach rugby today. Now even office estates out in the sticks are catching on. What have you done!? West London’s Chiswick Park is [...]