HMV Canada owner Hilco in lead for stores January 20, 2013 VULTURE turnaround fund Hilco UK is poised to add to its stable of Canadian HMV stores after taking the lead in the race to salvage its bankrupt UK sibling. Hilco, which bought out HMV Canada from parent HMV group in 2011 for £2m, is currently heading a pack of around 50 suitors for the iconic [...]
FTSE falls back on uncertainty in Italian polls February 26, 2013 LONDON REPORT WEAK banks and commodity stocks sent Britain’s top shares to a more than two-week closing low yesterday after an inconclusive election result in Italy revived Eurozone debt crisis concerns. Europe’s most indebted state faced a political vacuum after a huge protest vote left no party or likely coalition with enough seats to form [...]
House price rise 0.5pc in May June 7, 2012 House prices rose by 0.5 per cent in May, rebounding from a 2.3 per cent decline in April, but prices were still slightly lower on the year, figures from mortgage lender Halifax showed on Thursday. The Halifax house price index showed house prices were 0.1 per cent down in the three months to May compared [...]
Nando’s buying spree pays off as the chain returns to profit December 9, 2012 NANDO’S swung back into profit last year after the restaurant chain, famous for its flame-grilled peri-peri spiced chicken, lured more customers through its doors. The company posted £14.7m in profits before tax in the year to 26 February compared with a £7.1m loss the previous year, accounts filed at Companies House show. Nando’s acquired Clapham [...]
Figures to show the state of the UK economy as Davos meeting begins January 20, 2013 FIGURES this week from the Office for National Statistics will reveal whether the UK economy shrank in the fourth quarter of 2012 and over the year as a whole. “We expect the economy to have contracted by 0.2 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the fourth quarter of last year which would limit year-on-year growth to 0.2 [...]
Sorry savers: More easing is still needed to support UK recovery February 21, 2013 THE Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) minutes of its meeting on 20 February make some very interesting reading. They suggest that the Committee is ready to adopt a more flexible approach to policy-making. And of particular interest is that, for an unprecedented fifth time, governor of the Bank of England Sir Mervyn King voted in the [...]
London offices enjoy strongest spend in years February 5, 2013 THE CENTRAL London office market enjoyed its strongest year for investment since 2007 last year, thanks to a record level of purchases by foreign investors, according to data published yesterday by Knight Frank. The property specialist said total investment turnover for central London was £13.8bn in 2012, up from £9.6bn in 2011 and higher than [...]
Kingsland Wharves offers waterside living near the City January 24, 2013 After THE success of its one-bedroom apartments, Kingsland Wharves is now entering into the final stages of completing the development by launching a series of two and three bedroom homes. The prestigious new development is comprised of exclusive apartments overlooking the banks of the historic Kingsland Basin and is already going down well with City [...]
Profits fall at B&Q owner November 29, 2012 Profits at DIY group Kingfisher fell by six per cent in the third quarter to £257m, due to a tough sales environment in the UK and France. The owner of the B&Q chain saw UK and Ireland sales fall by 3.8 per cent on a like-for-like basis. The firm is badly affected by the stagnating [...]
Focus On: Blackheath January 24, 2013 NEED TO KNOW | AREA INSIGHT Named after the grassland that separates it from Greenwich and Lewisham, Blackheath is often described as one of the few remaining villages in the heart of London. Many refer to it as south east London’s answer to Hampstead because of its charming, green surroundings and bustling village. While it [...]