Chinese on brink of House of Fraser bid March 31, 2014 HOUSE of Fraser is on the verge of a takeover by a Chinese conglomerate, in a landmark deal valuing the retailer at £450m. Chinese powerhouse Sanpower Group, led by 49-year-old multi-millionaire Yuan Yafei, has tabled an all-cash offer to buy out the 165-year-old British department store’s diverse patchwork of shareholders and its £160m of debts. [...]
How most Help to Buy homes are outside of London market March 24, 2014 THE government’s controversial Help to Buy scheme is being most used outside of London and the south east, fresh figures released yesterday show, following fears that it would lead to another bubble in house prices in the capital. Between the start of the policy in April and the end of 2013, 17,395 house purchases went [...]
Bellway raises forecast for new homes as property market grows March 26, 2014 HOUSEBUILDER Bellway yesterday raised its forecasts and said it now expects to deliver 20 per cent more homes this year thanks to returning confidence in the housing market and a surge in customer demand. Pre-tax profits jumped 73 per cent to £103.8m in the six months to 31 January, beating analyst forecasts, while earnings per [...]
Letters to the Editor – 25/04 – Transport capacity, Western decline, Best of Twitter April 24, 2014 Transport capacity [Re: Just three reforms would transform UK recovery into sustainable boom, yesterday] Rolling back the green belt around London by one mile is a sensible suggestion. But how would the inhabitants of the 1m new houses, all within travelling distance of London, travel into the city? Certainly not on the overcrowded trains and [...]
What you need to know before the open May 27, 2014 After a day out of the loop yesterday, the FTSE will be playing catch up with European markets, which saw a strong session yesterday. The European and Ukraine elections don’t appear to have affected equities too much. Several bourses saw encouraging gains, with the Dax posting a record high. Eyes are still on European Central [...]
Playing the long game: Using data to drive new sales May 28, 2014 Rob Symes, founder of The Outside View, talks to Liam Ward-Proud about how predictive analytics has helped his firm find new customers, but why it won’t solve all your organisation’s problems IT’S OFTEN difficult for businesses to know how best to use the sheer volume of data they generate. Information on interactions with customers, the [...]
Virgin Money is the fourth lender to join Help to Buy October 7, 2013 VIRGIN Money yesterday became the fourth bank to sign up for the Help to Buy Scheme, which from today will offer state guarantees to homebuyers. It joins RBS, Lloyds’ Halifax brand and challenger bank Aldermore in offering mortgages with deposits worth as little as five per cent of the home’s value. However, new figures on [...]
Mike Ashley in talks to buy 33 LA Fitness sites May 14, 2014 SPORTS Direct’s billionaire owner Mike Ashley has set his sights on expanding into the health and leisure industry, with plans to buy 33 sites from LA Fitness. The health club chain confirmed yesterday that it was in talks with the Newcastle United football club owner over the 33 sites, which had been put up for [...]
Zoopla’s debut safe as houses after stock rises June 18, 2014 PROPERTY portal Zoopla yesterday attracted a host of blue-chip investors to its £900m London stock market debut, helping net its founder £30m. The company, which priced shares at 220p, saw 38.3 per cent sold to new investors after existing shareholders such as Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) – its biggest owner – and founder [...]
US consumer confidence jumps to January 2008 high March 25, 2014 Good economic spirits returning in the US. Consumer confidence has surged to 82.3, from 78.3 prior. Last month's figure was itself revised up, from 78.1. Analysts had predicted a smaller rise, to just 78.6 this month. Simultaneously housing data revealed that new home sales fell by 3.3 per cent in February, less than the 4.9 [...]