Snow chaos is turning UK into a joke December 2, 2010 BRITAIN’S humiliating inability to cope with winter conditions is becoming almost unbearable. Heavy snowfall is not a freak event. It now happens every year – and yet the authorities and transport companies appear utterly unable to learn any meaningful lesson from the annual debacle that is the onset of snow and bad weather. It is [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 2, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES BANKS’ ASSET SELLING HINTS AT BETTER CONDITIONS Banks are selling some of the companies they took over from their private equity owners during the financial crisis, such as Swedish fridge-maker Dometic and German construction group DSI, indicating that the economic cycle is turning. Bargain-hunting private equity executives have been frustrated at the dearth [...]
Roll up for a host of new hot openings December 8, 2010 THERE have been a number of bar openings dotted around the capital in recent weeks. The iconic Oxo Tower (www.harveynichols.com/restaurants/oxo-tower-london) has seen the launch of its new bar with stunning views across the Thames to St Pauls and beyond. The impressive space mixes classic cruise liner-esque lines with modern touches provided by designer Shaun Clarkson, [...]
HMV exchanges contracts on £13.7m Oxford Street lease sale November 17, 2010 HMV yesterday announced that it had exchanged contracts on the disposal of the leasehold for its store at 360 Oxford Street to US fashion retailer Forever 21, for £13.75m. In a statement HMV said the money will be used to reduce debt. It said that it will also work hard to transfer sales to its [...]
Burlington Arcade is sold for £104m October 24, 2010 BURLINGTON Arcade, one of the world’s oldest shopping centres, has been sold to European real estate firm Meyer Bergman and US property tycoon Joseph Sitt for £104m, the pair said yesterday. The centre near Bond Street, which opened in 1918, will be Sitt’s first purchase in Europe through his investment vehicle Thor Equities. Thor will [...]
Banking on new business ideas November 25, 2010 I DON’T want to be a banker, I’m not a banker, never have been, a lot of my job is walking around here…” Anthony Thomson gestures towards the shop floor and his staff and says “…making sure they don’t turn it into a bank.” But sure enough we are in a bank – the Holborn [...]
Glass towers reflect new opportunities for the City October 31, 2010 LAST week was widely reported as a good news week for the City; two more skyscraper projects – British Land’s Cheesegrater and Land Securities’ Walkie Talkie – were revived and One New Change, the new jewel in the City’s retail offering, opened to huge fanfare and to huge crowds. All of this is of course [...]
City hit by chemical leak October 25, 2010 THE City was hit by traffic chaos in the rush hour after a chemical spill at the New Change shopping mall on Cheapside. The London Fire Brigade in an alert said 30 people were evacuated as specialist teams combed the building to assess the cause of the spill. Land Securities, which owns the shopping centre [...]
City hit by chemical leak October 25, 2010 THE City was hit by traffic chaos in the rush hour after a chemical spill at the New Change shopping mall on Cheapside. The London Fire Brigade in an alert said 30 people were evacuated as specialist teams combed the building to assess the cause of the spill. Land Securities, which owns the shopping centre [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS November 22, 2010 Matrix Group Matrix, the financial services firm, has announced the appointment of a new chief operating officer for asset management: Paul Bramley. Bramley has worked in financial services for more than 20 years, including occupying previous COO and chief financial officer roles. He is also a qualified chartered accountant and has worked at NatWest Markets, [...]