Londoners deserve better than Boris’s Wormwood Scrubs mini-Manhattan December 16, 2014 LONDON’s greatest strength is its ability to constantly regenerate. But amid unprecedented levels of development, we must be wary of leaving local communities behind. Seeing Boris Johnson’s name attached to a project immediately sets alarm bells ringing. The fantasy airport, the over-budget buses, the loss of strategic sites like Earl’s Court and Mount Pleasant. His [...]
Kate Robertson: Who do you think is sorting out youth unemployment anyway? February 9, 2015 Understandably, David Cameron vaunts the 1.75 million jobs created on his watch. Though this makes those on the opposition benches squirm – I'd just like to point out who's doing the creating. As the political back-and-forth of an election season gains momentum, it’s something we are likely to hear more and more members of [...]
UK commercial property debt deals reach seven-year high November 17, 2014 THE COMMERCIAL property debt market bounced back in the past six months, according to research out yesterday, revealing the biggest rise in demand for debt finance in seven years. According to data from Laxfield Capital, the UK commercial mortgage investment firm, total loan requests were 27 per cent higher than in the previous six-month period, [...]
Land Registry: UK house prices have fallen 0.2 per cent since August October 28, 2014 UK house prices have fallen since August, data published by the Land Registry today showed, offering further evidence of a cooling market. The Land Registry, which uses price paid data as opposed to asking prices, said prices have fallen 0.2 per cent since August, despite rising 7.2 per cent in the year to September. [...]
Lessons from flexible workspaces March 17, 2015 Even established companies can re-create the environments that let startups thrive. For years, truly modern workspaces were the sole domain of Californian tech giants such as Google and Facebook. Smaller businesses were resigned to drab serviced offices or onerous, equally uninspiring, fixed leases. But with more innovative workspaces opening across the capital, London’s small [...]
This time last year Foxtons was an investor favourite – what happened? December 4, 2014 It was just over a year ago that London estate agent Foxtons became the darling of the London Stock Exchange with a stonkingly successful IPO. Having floated at 230p, valuing it at £649m, shares in the company rose sharply to a peak of 285.5p in its first day of trading. By the end of February, [...]
Is Latin America the next step for your business? November 30, 2014 SPONSORED CONTENT BY SANTANDER Look south west, and there is a vast, untapped export market. That’s the message of Canning House, Britain’s leading forum and contacts hub for Latin America, and a participant at Santander’s Breakthrough Box last week. “Companies are being held back because of a lack of familiarity and a fear of engagement,” [...]
Virgin Money snaps up £363m of credit card assets from MBNA December 1, 2014 Challenger bank Virgin Money yesterday bought another portfolio of credit card assets from MBNA, continuing its acquisition spree as the lender bulks up. Virgin Money paid £363m for the assets, 11 months after it bought a similar book for £1bn. The lender snapped up the good bank part of Northern Rock to fully launch itself [...]
Luxury extras for new London homes: From rooftop yoga in Hammersmith to virtual golf on the Thames January 15, 2015 New homes now come with luxury extras as standard to lure in Londoners with busy schedules. Developers are continually trying to outdo their competitors by incorporating extra leisure facilities into the service charge. And, in time-honoured property fashion, the need to keep up with the Jones’ has led to ever more outlandish services, from virtual [...]
UK house prices: Mansion tax shrugged off as empty plot on Poole peninsula goes on sale for £6.25m November 19, 2014 The threat of mansion tax may be dampening the prices in London and making Myleene Klass feel like she can't brew coffee in her own home, but it doesn't appear to be having much of an impact in Dorset. An empty piece of land on the county's narrow Sandbanks peninsula has gone on sale for [...]