Jamie Ritblat’s Delancey in talks to sell the City’s Walbrook building for £600m February 1, 2015 THE OWNERS of the Walbrook in the City are understood to be in talks to sell the trophy office building for as much as £600m. Jamie Ritblat’s property company Delancey has owned the Walbrook building since 2011, when it acquired its owner Minerva for £200m. Although now almost fully let, the Foster and Partners-designed building [...]
In the FinTech family: How crowdfunding is propelling peer-to-peer platform Assetz Capital forward April 8, 2015 Back in 2010, it became clear to the co-founders of Assetz Capital that the banking system was broken. So we set out to make a difference – not just to help restart business lending, but to make a long-lasting change for the better. The desire to develop a platform where businesses could access much-needed funds, [...]
Why Crossrail risks being London’s last major infrastructure project May 5, 2015 It is difficult to believe that it was half a decade ago that Liam Byrne – a Treasury minister in Gordon Brown’s government – left that infamous note for his successor. It apparently read, “Dear chief secretary, I’m afraid there is no money left… Good luck.” Of course, Byrne was only half right. Since 2010, [...]
What the Tories mean for employees: From fewer strikes to more free childcare June 4, 2015 In the run-up to the Queen’s Speech, the suggested repeal of the Human Rights Act dominated the headlines. But now, it’s worth giving the government’s proposals for workers more time. The coalition made great play of reducing the number of costly, time-consuming and unwarranted employment claims that businesses were forced to deal with. Now, [...]
Car review: The Jaguar XE 3.0 V6 S is set to put British cars on top of the world again May 4, 2015 You know you’ve made it at work when you swap the keys of your bog-standard company car for a premium model better suited to the junior executive you’ve become, like a BMW, an Audi or a Mercedes-Benz. But if everyone is trading up, the brands risk losing the exclusivity that made them so appealing in [...]
Whitewood Reff IPO: Benelux focused property firm to float in London March 9, 2015 A property arm of Whitewood Group has unveiled plans to float in London to raise cash for a push into Holland and Belgium’s commercial property sector. Whitewood Reff will raise up to £125m from listing and aims to start trading on the main market of the London stock exchange next week. The vehicle, led [...]
Construction recovery boosts growth outlook February 3, 2015 THE UK’s construction industry rebounded in January following a recent lull in activity, new survey data shows. It may provide a significant boost to GDP in 2015 after a poor construction output reading slowed growth in the final three months of 2014. The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) – a survey of private sector firms compiled [...]
Forget small ideas for big challenges: This is the economic manifesto Britain needed April 20, 2015 Distance sometimes gives you a better perspective. What became clear to me abroad last week was that, in an age of big economic challenges, the ideas in the parties’ manifestos are very small. In fact, we’re seeing a depressing resurgence of misguided giveaways, interventions and price controls. We’d hope a politician would be handsomely rewarded [...]
Short supply of homes fuels rocketing UK rents and house prices March 19, 2015 A short supply of housing and a recovery in economic fortunes is pushing up rents and house prices. Average monthly rates stood at £766 in February, up 3.1 per cent on last year, according to figures released today by estate agents Your Move and Reeds Rains. London saw the second greatest annual rise in the [...]
Lakehouse hits £140m on stock market flotation March 18, 2015 BUILDING maintenance and service group Lakehouse priced its shares yesterday as the firm pulled off a successful stock market flotation. The shares priced at 89p each, giving the firm an estimated market capitalisation of £140.2m. Stock in the float amount was £60m, with roughly half of that sum coming from newly issued shares. “We are [...]