Our guide to getting the most out of the remote and uniquely beautiful Pacific island of Samoa July 3, 2017 Samoa has one of the South Pacific’s most beautiful and varied coastlines, complemented by a lush mountainous interior. An ideal island getaway, visitors here can pick and choose between paddling round kiddie pool lagoons of vast breadth but knee-high depth, to catching the spray off gargantuan waves crashing into craggy sea cliffs. Or both, because [...]
Taylor Wimpey upbeat on UK housing market as buyers shake off General Election jitters April 23, 2015 The figures Taylor Wimpey has made an upbeat start to 2015, with an average private net reservation rate of 0.76 sales per outlet per week for the year to date – suggesting house buyers aren't worried about the impact of the general election (and given housebuilding is one of the few sectors that stands to benefit, [...]
London house prices are growing at slowest rate for over three years December 16, 2016 Annual house price growth fell to 7.6 per cent in November, its lowest level for more than three years. The figures from Hometrack show how tax changes and the Brexit vote have been weighing on London property. In November 2015, house price growth was 11.8 per cent year-on-year. Read more: This is how far house prices will fall [...]
Six of the best pies: We scoured London in search of the meatiest bakes ahead of British Pie Week, a celebration of all things pie from 6-12 March February 28, 2017 Battersea Pie Station 28 The Market Garden, WC2E, £15 for two Once you’ve got over the fact it’s actually in Covent Garden and the owners lied to you for a cheap pun, this place is pretty great. Wean your kids on the Baby Pies with a baby portion of mash, then work up to The [...]
Other offers likely? This is how analysts are reacting to the Bovis-Redrow-Galliford Try love triangle March 13, 2017 Bovis Homes’ share price leapt this morning after it emerged over the weekend that it is involved in a love triangle with rivals Galliford Try and Redrow. Bovis yesterday confirmed it was in merger talks with Galliford Try and had rejected a bid from Redrow. However, Redrow this morning indicated it is holding out hope [...]
Days of promise lie ahead for British firms selling to booming Asian markets February 27, 2017 I returned yesterday from my latest trade mission to Hong Kong, mainland China and South Korea, which I undertook with the aim of exploring business opportunities across Asia for Britain. This is a crucial moment for the UK’s economic relationship with key overseas partners, in particular China, and expanding our economic ties in the most important [...]
UK House prices are on course to fall below £300,000 in December December 12, 2016 The UK's house prices are on course to fall below £300,000 in December – and house price growth is likely to weaken next year, new figures have shown. The Rightmove House Price Index showed prices are on course to fall 2.1 per cent in December, after a 1.1 per cent fall in November. That will put [...]
These will be London’s property hot spots in 2017 December 20, 2016 This year, Zoopla crowned Dalston the UK's top property hotspot after house prices in the neighbourhood rocketed 60 per cent over the last five years. Shoreditch came second, with prices shooting up 58 per cent over the period. Both of these locations are celebrated for their hipster cafes and second-hand furniture shops – but they're fast [...]
Theresa May calls for a “new partnership” with employers on mental health January 9, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a "new partnership" between government and industry on mental health as part of a speech laying out her broad agenda for the UK. Speaking at the Charity Commission today, May brought together housing, mental health, industrial strategy and Brexit as part of her programme to create a "shared society". [...]
Tata Steel has agreed to sell its Specialty Steels business for £100m February 9, 2017 Tata Steel UK has agreed to sell its Specialty Steels business to industrials group Liberty House for £100m. The sale includes several South Yorkshire-based sites, including steelworks at Rotherham, Stocksbridge and Brinsworth, as well as operations in Suzhou and Xi'an in China. The deal will secure the jobs of about 1,700 people directly employed by Specialty Steels working in the aerospace, automotive [...]