India’s long journey towards reform holds lessons for the City’s future October 7, 2012 LOOKING back at Europe from New Delhi – and the City delegation’s business visit to India – it is clear that reform tops the agenda in both places. Whether it is Vickers, Liikanen or Singh, the detailed reasons behind reform may be different. But the desired overall outcome is the same: to create stable jobs [...]
Olympics boom sees 5.5m flock to Stratford City August 15, 2012 STRATFORD City, Europe’s biggest shopping mall, attracted 5.5m visitors during the Olympic Games, its Australian developer Westfield said as it reported a 31 per cent increase in its first-half profits. Stratford’s bustling shops contrast with retailers in west London that lamented a lack of visitors, particularly in the first week of the Games, after warnings [...]
Rapid Responses October 3, 2012 Attack on property I’m a chartered surveyor working in London, and I was recently informed that Newham Council has decided to introduce mandatory blanket licensing of all rental properties in the borough. Letting agents or private landlords must pay £150 if they apply for a license by the end of the year. Afterwards, a five-year [...]
What the other papers say this Morning October 18, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES ArcelorMittal explores iron ore sale ArcelorMittal is exploring the sale of a stake in its $10bn Canadian iron ore business, as the world’s biggest steel company struggles to cope with the downturn in its key commodity. People familiar with the matter said ArcelorMittal had appointed advisers and had been sounding out potential buyers [...]
What the other papers say this morning October 3, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES End to Russian petrodollar surplus Russia’s petrodollar surplus is poised to vanish as early as 2015 as import revenues overtake those from oil exports, according to its central bank. The forecast is the first official acknowledgment that the economic model which has characterised Vladimir Putin’s leadership – a country buttressed by oil money [...]
What the other papers say this morning October 3, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES End to Russian petrodollar surplus Russia’s petrodollar surplus is poised to vanish as early as 2015 as import revenues overtake those from oil exports, according to its central bank. The forecast is the first official acknowledgment that the economic model which has characterised Vladimir Putin’s leadership – a country buttressed by oil money [...]
SIGNS OF LIFE AFTER SHOPPERS RETURN August 5, 2012 LONDON’S retailers were handed a welcome boost over the weekend as shoppers flocked back to stores, though figures released today show Britain’s high streets have seen their worst monthly sales in almost a year. Footfall picked up in the second half of last week and over the weekend, with the capital’s retailers reporting a leap [...]
John Lewis sales up as shoppers catch sports fever August 24, 2012 John Lewis, Britain’s biggest department store group, posted strong sales growth last week, helped by increased demand for sports equipment following Britain’s gold medal haul at the London Olympics. The employee-owned firm said today department store sales jumped 14.5 per cent year on year to £61.1m in the week to 18 August, the third week [...]
The digital printing duo with a thriving portfolio December 2, 2012 NICK and Tim Green are executive director and chief executive respectively of Tangent Communications, an alternative investment market (AIM)-listed digital printing and marketing company. They have gone against the old adage that you should never go into business with family to set up businesses that have made waves within their industries. Indeed, having made plans [...]
London firms give mixed views on the benefits of the Olympics August 9, 2012 LONDON businesses think the Olympics provided less of a boost in demand than they anticipated, claims a survey by Deloitte. Some 42 per cent of firms said they have seen a positive impact on demand since the start of the games compared with 27 per cent who reported a decrease. But this is in stark [...]