Hammerson to sell its offices to Brookfield June 19, 2012 HAMMERSON, the Anglo-French property developer, announced yesterday it is selling the bulk of its London office portfolio to Canada’s Brookfield Office Properties for £518m. The deal comes after chief executive David Atkins put the offices up for sale in February to focus on retail property in the UK and France. The FTSE 100 firm’s retail [...]
Drunk on golden memories of the Olympics – but reality will still make its sobering return August 12, 2012 SOMETIMES it’s best to start with a confession: here’s mine. Apparently I’ve been at work the last two weeks but frankly I don’t remember. The only thing I remember is the kaleidoscopic haze of an amazing party called London 2012. There was a brief moment last week when the dancing stopped to change the music. [...]
John Cridland wants to get UK building again November 15, 2012 JOHN Cridland is one of the few people who could get excited by the prospect of working next to a building site for six years. The view from his office window in London’s Centrepoint building is currently a mess of cement mixers, trucks and cranes as the Crossrail construction crews set about transforming Tottenham Court [...]
Global shares gain ahead of data August 14, 2012 Asian shares rose today as investors hunted for bargains while waiting for more economic figures from Europe and the United States later in the day, after recent data showed the Eurozone’s debt woes were eroding business activity globally. Relative optimism persisted to underpin investor sentiment as deteriorating global growth prospects will keep expectations firmly in [...]
What the other papers say this morning August 15, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Barrick Gold explores Africa sale Canadian miner Barrick Gold has been exploring a sale of its 74 per cent stake in African Barrick, the London-listed gold producer, in a move that could prompt a full takeover. Barrick has been working with UBS to consider its options for African Barrick, which the Canadian miner, [...]
London must become a global tourist magnet August 5, 2012 EXTRAORDINARY. That was the only way to describe the atmosphere at the Olympic stadium this weekend. Team GB’s astonishing triumph has enthused the nation – it has become virtually impossible to walk anywhere in London without spotting someone sporting a Union Jack – and Usain Bolt’s spectacular 100m Olympic record last night was a magical [...]
FTSE edges down as UK borrowing rises July 20, 2012 Telecoms giant Vodafone pushed the FTSE 100 lower while UK government borrowing came in above estimates this morning. The Office for National Statistics said that public sector net borrowing excluding financial sector interventions rose last month to £14.4bn from £13.9bn in June 2011. On London’s blue chip index Vodafone fell 1.3 per cent after the [...]
Commuters face fare hike as taxpayer subsidy is cut August 14, 2012 COMMUTERS are set to come in for a hammering from January next year, when rail companies are next allowed to raise fares. Individual fares will be lifted by up to 11.2 per cent, as part of the Department for Transport’s (DfT) plan to shift costs from the Exchequer to the passenger. The cap on regulated [...]
Mothercare looks overseas as UK business shrinks July 19, 2012 Baby products retailer Mothercare, facing intensifying competition in Britain, said its overseas sales rose 11 percent in the first quarter, contrasting with a more than 10 per cent fall in total sales in its home market. The company, which also sells maternity wear, said comparable sales in the UK fell 6.7 per cent in the [...]
UK’s creative industry to get a £15m boost July 30, 2012 THE GOVERNMENT will today announce some £15m of investment into the UK’s creative industries as part of a series of summits taking place during the Olympics aimed at bringing investment to British shores. On the third day of an investment conference intended to show off British media, arts and design, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) [...]