City Moves for 05 August 2015 | Who’s switching jobs August 4, 2015 Mayfair Capital Investment Management The UK real estate investment manager has announced the appointment of Phil Sturdy (pictured) as investment director. He joins from Rockspring Property Investment Managers, where he was European director. Sturdy has also previously held positions at CBRE. In addition, Mayfair Capital has appointed Laura Sweet as an asset manager. She previously [...]
Brewer toasts strong first half ahead of the Rugby World Cup July 7, 2015 BRITISH pub chain Young & Co’s Brewery toasted a strong start to the year at its annual general meeting yesterday. Chairman Nick Bryan reported that trading in the current year “has started well, with managed house sales for the first 13 weeks up 8.3 per cent in total and up 5.6 per cent on a [...]
CBI distributive trades survey: Britain’s retailers are expecting a slow summer July 29, 2015 A widely watched industry survey has shown UK retailers expect sales volumes to weaken further next month, after an already disappointing performance in July. The CBI distributive trades survey said 30 per cent of firms expect sales volumes to rise in the year to August, while 17 per cent said they expect them to fall, [...]
Scandi luxe: Norway’s buoyant market rewards those with the patience to track down a plot of land and build their dream home June 25, 2015 So hot is Oslo’s property market, the city’s lucky estate agents are behaving like auctioneers, requesting immediate bids after open house viewings. With houses so hard to come by, one alternative is to find a plot of land and build your own – a solution chosen by the owners of the recently completed Villa Melkeveien. [...]
Retailer Amazon paid just £11.9mn in tax in 2014 June 25, 2015 The online retailing goliath Amazon’s UK business paid just £11.9mn in tax last year, despite earning £5.3bn in sales from British shoppers. Amazon’s Luxembourg arm, called Amazon EU Sarl, took in the £5.3bn of sales, with UK sales rising by 14 per cent in 2014. However, the British-based Amazon.co.uk Limited subsidiary recorded a profit of [...]
BBC charter review: Why Auntie needs local media September 7, 2015 The upcoming charter review provides the ideal opportunity to extend the BBC’s long-established and highly successful outsourcing model to local news gathering. At a time when more power is being devolved to the regions, it is essential that there is a long-term commitment to media coverage of institutions – courts, health trusts, education authorities, [...]
Chinese dragon needs to regain its fire: Falling competitiveness could be the hidden force behind the slowdown September 8, 2015 China's unravelling has had repercussions all over the world, from the $3 trillion (£1.96 trillion) wiped off global stock markets in the space of days, to fears of deflation in the UK and currency devaluations in places as distinct as Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The Shanghai stock market – which is down 40 per cent [...]
Reports reveal services leading the UK recovery – London Report May 31, 2015 THE UK service sector is once again expected to be the star turn as purchasing managers (PMI) reports this week show continued economic growth. Figures due out on Wednesday are expected to show the sector held up well in May, remaining stable at 59.5 (with 50 and above denoting growth) after rising to this level [...]
Crowdfunding 101: Six points each startup should consider before launching their next round of fundraising September 10, 2015 Crowdfunding is revolutionising startup investment in the UK, but don't expect an easy ride Crowdfunding is in vogue. In the UK alone, about £1.5bn is raised through it each year. It’s been used to raise equity for everything from drones to smartwatches and even giant Ferris wheels. But just because it’s hip don’t for [...]
What private client FX offers entrepreneurs – Investec Comment: August 9, 2015 Most businesses with vulnerability to foreign exchange risk – whether they’re exporters or have subsidiaries overseas – will have arrangements in place to mitigate their exposure to sharp currency moves. But what about you as an individual? As business owners and entrepreneurs become more globally-mobile, they are more likely to have overseas investments, or [...]