Factories report fast growth in US as economy lifts June 23, 2014 US MANUFACTURERS are reporting the fastest expansion in four years, adding to the perception that the country’s growth is increasingly picking up strength. Markit’s purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the sector hit 57.5, the highest seen since April 2010. Output, new orders, employment and backlogs of work all increased from May, and picked up speed. Cost [...]
London’s best flats with square garden access June 5, 2014 Next weekend, over 200 gates will be unlocked, grass will be mown, shrubs will be spruced and marquees will be erected to allow thousands of people to walk around London’s historic garden squares. The annual Open Garden Squares Weekend will kick off on 14 and 15 June to showcase the beauty and grandeur of these [...]
Why I’m fighting Salesforce’s renaming of Heron Tower July 7, 2014 WHEN building St Paul’s Cathedral, Sir Christopher Wren is said to have erected screens to prevent people seeing his deviations from the plans until they were too late to undo. Wren knew that Londoners cared about their skyline, and that has not changed. The proposal to rename Heron Tower, in the City of London ward [...]
Chelsea to ditch Viagogo for own ticket exchange July 14, 2014 Chelsea Football Club has severed its ties with ticket exchange site Viagogo, ending its nine-year relationship with the firm, in favour of an in-house exchange that doesn’t charge fees. The new system is similar to that of Arsenal, which has operated its own ticket exchange since 2008, and comes after pressure on the club since [...]
Focus On… Peckham: Only fools wouldn’t invest in SE15 June 20, 2014 PECKHAM has come a long way since Del Boy and Rodney. The Nag’s Head might still be there, but these days you’re more likely to bump into artists making things than cockney geezers on the make. And it isn’t just artists. Parts of Peckham are actually quite posh now. Bellenden village, with its smart pubs, [...]
Taylor Wimpey shares jump as it lifts forecasts May 13, 2014 SHARES in Taylor Wimpey jumped over seven per cent yesterday after the housebuilder raised its profit targets on the back of a resurgence in the housing market. Housebuilders have enjoyed a dramatic recovery over the past year thanks to the government’s Help to Buy scheme and improving consumer confidence, which has helped fuel demand for [...]
Telford Homes doubles earnings as Londoners clamour for houses May 28, 2014 HOUSING developer Telford Homes saw its profits double over the past year and said it expected them to double again by 2018, thanks to the unsated appetite for homes in the capital. The London-focused group reported yesterday that profit before tax increased to £19m in the year to 31 March, compared with £9m the previous [...]
We can reform London’s rental sector without demonising landlords May 27, 2014 THE SHADOW of Peter Rachman, the epitome of the rogue landlord, still lingers over the rented sector. Yet deregulation in the late 1980s means it is incomparable with the rent-controlled, deteriorating rump stock of old. Today’s rented sector houses a phenomenally diverse 2m Londoners. There isn’t a typical renter. Every income group is represented equally, [...]
We can reform London’s rental sector without demonising landlords May 27, 2014 THE SHADOW of Peter Rachman, the epitome of the rogue landlord, still lingers over the rented sector. Yet deregulation in the late 1980s means it is incomparable with the rent-controlled, deteriorating rump stock of old. Today’s rented sector houses a phenomenally diverse 2m Londoners. There isn’t a typical renter. Every income group is represented equally, [...]
Barratt and Derwent benefit from recovery May 8, 2014 BARRATT Developments expects to secure reservations on more than a quarter of next year’s private completions by June as the UK’s housing recovery continues apace. Chief executive Mark Clare said yesterday that rising consumer confidence and better mortgage availability meant sales rates had now reached an “optimum level”, with Barratt registering an average of 0.77 [...]