EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannau opens first EasyFood pilot store in London – with food priced at 25p February 2, 2016 Aldi and Lidl are about to get a taste of their own medicine, after EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannau has opened his first EasyFoodstore in north-west London, bringing the challenging spirit of the discount airline to the grocery sector. The Park Royal shop (next to the EasyBus depot on the North Circular, natch) will sell a limited and basic [...]
New home registrations remain stable over last quarter, as 37,582 recorded between August and October November 25, 2015 New home registrations have remained steady over the last quarter, according to figures released today from the National House-Building Council (NHBC). A total of 37,582 new homes were registered, split between 30,046 in the private sector and 7,536 in the public sector, between August and October. By comparison, 37,707 were recorded in the same period in 2014. The number of [...]
UK house prices: Bovis Homes share price rises as it posts record profit January 15, 2016 Housebuilder Bovis Homes has ended the week on a high, with the announcement it made a record profit in 2015. Not surprisingly, the news sent shares up. The figures In a statement posted this morning, Bovis said it delivered 3,934 homes in 2015, eight per cent higher than in 2014. Average selling price increased seven per cent to £231,000. Private reservations increased by 10 per [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: George Osborne boosts spending on housing, but can the government really build 400,000 more homes? November 25, 2015 Britain’s housing supply crisis isn’t a new problem – but today George Osborne made another government pledge to increase the stock. Osborne’s plans include selling off prisons and offering more capital to affordable housing. To top it off, there is to be a new help-to-buy scheme for London, to give residents a leg up onto [...]
Ethical investing: How to get started April 20, 2016 People used to call it nuts – but ethical investing has changed radically. Whether its termed ethical, responsible, or sustainable investing, the aim is generally the same. It's investing your money in businesses which have some intention of making the world a better place. Barely a week goes by without newspaper headlines about corporate tax avoidance, [...]
UK housing crisis: The next problem area will be retirement homes February 17, 2016 Talk of the housing crisis conjures up images of first time buyers trapped by sky high prices, as their income is syphoned off into rent. But alongside the cash-strapped "generation rent", there's another age group at risk: the next crisis may well be in retirement homes. At the heart of the difficulties in residential care lies [...]
George Osborne admits the Treasury could hold Lloyds Banking Group shares until June 2016 December 4, 2015 The government has admitted it won't finish its trading plan to sell off Lloyds shares until June 2016 – after it originally said it will finish by the end of this month. In a statement this morning, chancellor George Osborne said the government will extend its trading plan until the end of June. Back in October [...]
Jail bankers for failure? The new criminal offence is an unworkable paper tiger March 7, 2016 The FCA was criticised earlier this year for going soft on the banking industry after dropping a probe into banking culture and accusations that it is increasingly acting at the behest of the Treasury. The regulator would no doubt counter, however, that 2016 heralds a step-change in its regulatory approach to the UK banking sector. [...]
Four stocks for your stocking: Which are the best shares to buy in 2016? December 23, 2015 These shares should bring some festive cheer. Experts reveal their top plays for 2016 and beyond C&C Irish company C&C is a producer of beer, cider and soft drinks. Alex Wright, manager of the Fidelity Special Situations fund, likes C&C for its strong market position, solid plans to expand abroad and the fact the alcohol [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Sadiq Khan says he wants Tech City to be in the hands of City Hall as he matches Zac Goldsmith pledge for super-fast broadband December 18, 2015 Labour City Hall hopeful Sadiq Khan will today call for Whitehall to devolve certain powers relating to “Tech City” to the mayor of London. “London has made a great fist of carving out a leading position as a centre of tech but there’s much more to do to ensure we build on this success,” Khan [...]