I know what you’ll like next summer: How trend forecasting keeps the biggest brands on top September 23, 2014 Will you be gripped by a desire to own a pair of Birkenstocks at some point over the next 12 months? Need a mindfulness holiday retreat in 2016? What about a fridge that connects to the internet, maybe some time in the 2020s? Who knows, right? Well, someone probably does. An entire industry has grown [...]
Rangers on track to relocate to £10bn site of proposed HS2 link August 21, 2013 QUEENS Park Rangers chiefs have confirmed that they are in talks to swap Loftus Road for a new 40,000-seater stadium at nearby Old Oak Common. The arena would be part of a £10bn plan to transform 100 acres of industrial land into office and residential property, as well as incorporating the proposed HS2 rail link [...]
Don’t blame foreigners for our self-inflicted housing shortage October 28, 2013 LONDON’S housing policy is in a mess: rules, restrictions and levies make it hard and expensive to build homes in the right places, crimping supply. Combined with growing demand, this has pushed prices up. While the coalition’s reforms have helped slightly, making it easier to convert old offices and simplifying some rules, and more public [...]
New competition authority says UK private healthcare will see a crackdown April 2, 2014 The newly-formed Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has announced it’s cracking down on private healthcare benefits and incentive schemes. It’s also forcing the sale of some hospitals, after a two-year investigation by its predecessor, the Competition Commission. The watchdog says it’s shelving demands for BMI Healthcare, Britain’s biggest private healthcare provider, to sell off several [...]
Beware Blair: The West must not learn the wrong lessons from Iraq June 17, 2014 MUCH as I am intellectually fond of Boris Johnson, he is entirely wrong about both former Prime Minister Tony Blair and his motivation for speaking out on the present Iraq crisis. For those of us who were against the initial Iraq war (I lost my job in America for my pains), it was certainly emotionally [...]
Focus on… Stratford: Stratford’s racing to the finish line April 24, 2014 EVERYONE knows that the Olympic Games were held in Stratford, east London, nearly two years ago, but few people know it for much else. It’s true that, since the opening of Westfield Stratford City, millions of people go there to shop – but how many are looking to live there? Despite the pre-Olympics hype, house [...]
How to be more creative at work June 5, 2014 Creativity can be elusive, especially in businesses short on time and under pressure to deliver financially. Albert Einstein gave a pessimistic view when he said that “the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” But in an increasingly crowded corporate environment, genuine originality has never been so important. Private equity manager and [...]
Mitie makes positive start to the year with a growing order book August 12, 2013 OUTSOURCING firm Mitie yesterday said that it has “made a positive start to the year” and expects to achieve “good levels of organic growth” in the coming twelve months. The FTSE 250-listed company, which offers facilities, people and energy management services to businesses, has won a number of new contracts in the private and [...]
The airport debate has forgotten free markets April 14, 2014 IF YOU’VE ever wondered why the airport capacity debate has become so problematic, two contributions last week, each exemplifying one of the camps by which it is dominated, show why. First, International Airlines Group chief executive Willie Walsh warned that the UK economy risks falling behind if the government blocks airport expansion. He pointed to [...]
The Docklands legacy can help fix London’s chronic housing crisis February 11, 2014 LONDON’S housing crisis is caused largely by a chronic shortage of new homes, which is pushing the average house price in the capital north of £500,000. Only 18,000 new homes were completed last year, barely a third as many as are needed to match population growth and household formation. There is no silver bullet to [...]