Coalition must not become complacent on economic growth October 24, 2012 UNLIKE some commentators, I don’t think David Cameron did anything especially wrong yesterday. He hinted at Prime Minister’s Question Time that the economy was improving; he didn’t leak the GDP figures. The statistics will be published this morning; so there is little point speculating about them. But it is worth noting that when the Prime [...]
A furniture retailer who rejects the high street November 11, 2012 I MEET Ning Li at Made.com’s new showroom in Notting Hill. I’m assured it’s not the online company’s first step towards being just another high street furniture retailer, but a new way to “engage with customers”. Indeed, Li believes Made.com’s success hinges on its deliberate avoidance of the high street for exclusively online retailing. Growing [...]
Focus on: Wimbledon August 30, 2012 Wimbledon has become one the most popular places to live in London, with Wimbledon Village being near the top of the tree. Easy transport links make it ideal for those who want quick access to the city, whilst reaping the benefits of a quieter suburban life. On the fast train, you can expect to be [...]
What the other papers say this morning September 27, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES China buys into UK student housing A fund controlled by the Chinese government is set to buy a 40 per cent stake in the UK’s largest developer of student housing as Beijing continues to expand its portfolio of global infrastructure. Gingko Tree Investment, a London-registered Chinese state-owned fund, is understood to be closing [...]
More homes would make climbing the second step easier September 9, 2012 GETTING a foot on the property ladder is hard. But, taking the second step could be even harder. Agonising market conditions mean that it could now be the most challenging time to be a “second stepper” in years. Research shows that a first-time buyer stays in their first property for around four years. Since the [...]
Sales recovery provides relief for Burberry October 11, 2012 SHARES in Burberry surged yesterday as the luxury fashion house reported it had seen sales recover in recent weeks, while it blamed a slowdown in UK and China sales on the continued squeeze on middle class shoppers. Burberry finance chief Stacey Cartwright said while wealthy shoppers continued to spend, the “aspirational luxury consumer” – or [...]
East India Company: The original City firm judged too big for failure December 16, 2012 FOR an institution that’s been defunct for over 150 years, the East India Company still evokes powerful reactions. This year in India, a move to liberalise the retail sector to allow investment by foreign multinationals was greeted with protests: “this is the return of the East India Company”. Meanwhile in the UK, Sanjiv Mehta has [...]
Rapid responses October 14, 2012 Good in theory [Re: Osborne should move fast and make Tucker next governor, Wednesday] Although economics is a well established discipline studied across the globe, it ought to be recognised that its theories are not testable, not even retrospectively, and therefore have no practical value like those of the physical sciences and engineering. Theories which [...]
Facebook’s British employees are set to become millionaires October 10, 2012 FACEBOOK employees in the UK are set to cash in from the company’s initial public offering (IPO) this year, with London-based employees sitting on $146m (£91.2m) in shares. The social media giant’s UK accounts, published on Companies House yesterday, revealed that Facebook handed out around 7.3m shares in the company to London staff before it [...]
Advisers capco’s £149m share placing September 19, 2012 SIMON MACKENZIE SMITH BANK OF AMERICA MERRILL LYNCH CAPCO’S push to improve Covent Garden has long been backed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) and UBS. The former has been Capco’s financial adviser since it demerged from Liberty and listed in London and Johannesburg in 2010. BAML also contributes to the Covent Garden estate [...]