Land Securities slams Labour’s rent policy plan May 15, 2014 LABOUR’S plans to overhaul the private rented sector would “put the brakes” on the housing market recovery, the chief executive of Land Securities has warned as the UK’s largest landlord reported a near 10 per cent uplift in profits. Rob Noel, the boss of the £12bn property firm whose developments include the Walkie Talkie skyscraper, [...]
Mitie profits up 4.3pc despite disposal costs May 19, 2014 MITIE shrugged off the woes of the wider outsourcing sector yesterday by unveiling in-line results for the year, which showed a 5.2 per cent rise in organic revenue growth and a 4.3 per cent rise in pre-tax profit. The FTSE 250-listed outsourcing firm, which holds contracts with a range of organisations including Network Rail, the [...]
I know what you’ll like next summer: How trend forecasting keeps the biggest brands on top September 23, 2014 Will you be gripped by a desire to own a pair of Birkenstocks at some point over the next 12 months? Need a mindfulness holiday retreat in 2016? What about a fridge that connects to the internet, maybe some time in the 2020s? Who knows, right? Well, someone probably does. An entire industry has grown [...]
Bank of England inaction threatens house price bubble, warns analyst May 8, 2014 April saw a rare fall in house prices, according to the latest data from Halifax. They dropped by 0.2 per cent, a small monthly decline. But on an annual basis, UK house prices are now up by 8.5 per cent in the three months to April. House prices are driven by supply and demand, and [...]
How London’s housing crisis threatens City businesses May 12, 2014 The high cost of London housing is affecting the capital's competitiveness, according to a new report from the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Soaring house price increases have outstripped wage increases, and so make "living in London unaffordable for many, affecting both employees and employers." 42 per cent of London businesses feel that their [...]
Betfair looks to World Cup to keep winning June 11, 2014 BETFAIR is hoping the World Cup will continue the bookmaker’s winning streak after its annual profit beat forecasts yesterday, sending its shares up almost one per cent to 1,032p. The online gambling company reported that group revenues rose two per cent to £393.6m and underlying profits jumped 61 per cent to £61.1m during the year [...]
Tesco Bank current account finally checks in June 9, 2014 After six years of delays, glitches and excuses, and a cool £600m splashed on the project… BRITONS can today open current accounts with Tesco Bank as the retailer at last becomes a fully functioning challenger to the big banks. The long-awaited milestone comes at a tough time for Tesco, which hopes a stronger banking arm [...]
Stagecoach sees bus and train revenue rises down the road April 29, 2014 STAGECOACH’S bus business has been raking in fares, with like-for-like revenues up 4.8 per cent in the last 10 months. The FTSE 250 firm said turnover from commercial services should make up for a tougher time on concessionary fares, building on its growing bus operations in London. Meanwhile the firm’s rail venture is in talks [...]
Labour wants to introduce the one policy guaranteed to make the housing crisis worse April 30, 2014 The UK’s housing crisis is no secret, and political solutions are offered two a penny. Unfortunately, Ed Miliband’s plan to limit rents is perhaps the one thing that can be relied upon to make the situation worse for Britain’s renters. At the launch of Labour’s election campaign in Redbridge, Miliband is expected to say that [...]
Labour wants to introduce the one policy guaranteed to make the housing crisis worse April 30, 2014 The UK's housing crisis is no secret, and political solutions are offered two a penny. Unfortunately, Ed Miliband's plan to limit rents is perhaps the one thing that can be relied upon to make the situation worse for Britain's renters. At the launch of Labour's election campaign in Redbridge, Miliband is expected to say [...]