Fund managers predict 1-in-4 chance of a UK recession March 1, 2016 Fund managers are feeling increasingly gloomy about the outlook for the UK economy, according to a new survey. On average, they forecast a 23 per cent chance of a UK recession during the next eighteen months, according to investment bank and research house Liberum's UK SMID fund managers’ survey. The survey also showed they're pessimistic on all [...]
David McCourt explains why micro-working is vital, and why he’s so disappointed by Trump and Clinton August 1, 2016 Do you mind always having to up sticks?” I ask David McCourt, founder, chairman and chief executive of telecoms and media investment firm Granahan McCourt, in regard to his likely move to London later this year. “No,” he replies. “I was only in the house my kids grew up in for 14 days last year; I’m [...]
Could a focus on customer experience have saved BHS? June 3, 2016 Retailers have learnt harsh lessons about failing to stay relevant; the collapse of BHS is just the latest casualty. Like Woolworths and GAME before it, when BHS went into administration, the most common reaction was shock. However, the downfall of BHS cannot be considered a surprise. The company failed to keep up with the internet revolution and being outmanoeuvred [...]
House building is accelerating but one estate agent says it is unlikely to help young buyers February 25, 2016 House building in England picked up toward the end of last year, but remains substantially below pre-recession levels. Builders started work on 37,080 new properties in the three months to December, the Department for Communities and Local Government said this morning. It marks a six per cent increase on the previous six month period but [...]
Rising residential rents ease fears of a slowdown after buy-to-let buying frenzy May 5, 2016 Rental prices rose in all but one region of the UK over three months to April, new figures show, despite concerns about the impact of higher stamp duty charges. Insurer HomeLet's latest rental index reveals that rents outside of London were, on average, 5.1 per cent higher over the three months to April than in the same period of last year. That compares [...]
Beautiful Things: The items on our shopping list this month, from instant cameras to invisible teapots May 23, 2016 Votteler Chair £POA, walterknoll.de This Walter Knoll armchair, based on a 1956-design by Arno Votteler, is a perfect example of Scandinavian objectivity and austerity. The angular volume of the upholstery rests on a delicate tubular steel framework, while the armrests are made from elegantly shaped solid wood. German industrial designer and academic Votteler, who founded [...]
Finding the capital’s next Clooney: The new mayor must be a brand manager and spokesperson May 4, 2016 Much has been written about the candidates standing in London’s mayoral election. But in the hubbub about housing policies and Heathrow expansion, one of the things that doesn’t get talked about is what they’ll do for “Brand London”. London is a huge brand, and a valuable one. It accounts for more than half of the [...]
PMQs today: Prime Minister David Cameron forced to defend government’s record on housing February 10, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron came under the cosh on housing from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, forcing Cameron to defend the government's plans to help people buy and own property in the UK. Corbyn said that Cameron's record is one of failure on housing, asking what the Prime Minister was doing to help people who suffer unrealistic house prices and [...]
UK house price growth speeds up in January as buy-to-let stamp duty hike looms February 4, 2016 House price growth sped up in the year to January, new data showed this morning – suggesting buy-to-let investors are trying to sneak in those transactions before new stamp duty rules are introduced in April. The annual figure was up from 9.5 per cent in December and nine per cent in November, according to Halifax's house [...]
US investor Cain Hoy buys historic Mayfair block for £80m April 5, 2016 Cain Hoy, US investment firm backed by Guggenheim Partners, has snapped up a historic building in one of Mayfair's luxury shopping streets for £80m. The five storey terracotta building at 19 South Audley Street dates back to 1845 and is best known for housing china and silverware retailer Thomas Goode's emporium since that time. It also has offices and flats on the [...]