Older homeowners’ wealth set to double to £2.5 trillion by 2035 November 6, 2015 The total property wealth of over-55s in England is expected to double to almost £2.5 trillion by 2035, new research shows, as the baby boomer generation benefit from house price rises and a longer life expectancy. Older homeowners are currently sitting on £1.2 trillion worth of wealth, According to Age Partnership. The financial planning specialist [...]
Pure Gym speeds up £20m makeover of former LA Fitness sites November 5, 2015 Budget gym operator Pure Gym is flexing its muscles and speeding up £20m plans to revamp the 43 LA Fitness sites it acquired this summer. The chain, which beat off competition from rivals including Sports Direct to buy LA Fitness for an estimated £70m, has already refurbished and reopened three sites in Brighton, Bedford and [...]
High street retailer confidence rises ahead of Christmas November 5, 2015 High street retailers are feeling more confident about Christmas this year, with the majority predicting a rise in revenues according to research from Barclays, despite warnings from retailers including SuperGroup and Marks & Spencer of challenges ahead. Barclays said 79 per cent of retailers surveyed expect revenues to increase over the Christmas period compared to [...]
Shares rise at Splenda sweetener-maker Tate & Lyle as profits beat forecasts November 5, 2015 Shares in Tate & Lyle have edged 1.6 per cent higher today after the food ingredients giant posted better-than-expected first half profits, in a sign that its turnaround strategy may be paying off. The figures Adjusted profit before tax rose by 28 per cent to £103m in the six months to 30 September compared with [...]
Happy hour for Fever-Tree as tonic maker hikes full-year guidance November 4, 2015 Fever-Tree shares have rallied more than 13 per cent after the posh tonic water manufacturer raised its full-year guidance on the back of strong sales. The UK-based brand, which floated on Aim last year, said it anticipates results for the full-year to be “materially ahead” of expectations following “encouraging” sales both at home and overseas. [...]
Countrywide blames housing market slowdown for profits warning as shares plunge November 4, 2015 Shares in Britain's biggest lettings and estate agency Countrywide have plunged more than 12 per cent this morning after the company issued a shock profits warning, blaming a slowdown in the housing market. The company, which owns estate agencies including Hamptons, Blundells and John D Wood, despite generally encouraging economic conditions, the pick-up in residential transactions it had anticipated following the [...]
Shop prices drop for 30th month in a row as competition heats up ahead of Christmas November 4, 2015 UK shop prices fell in October for the 30th month in a row, dragged down by low commodity prices and fierce competition among retailers ahead of the crucial Christmas period. Prices fell by 1.8 per cent on the year, figures for the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen show, which was a slight slowdown on [...]
World Wealth: Britain crowned fifth richest country in the world behind US, China, Japan and Germany November 3, 2015 The UK has been crowned the world’s fifth richest country in the world in a new report that measures the total wealth amassed by each country’s individuals. Britain’s population holds $9.24 trillion (£6.01 trillion) in private wealth, surpassing France, Italy, Canada and Australia. This is despite its relatively small population compared with countries such as Germany, [...]
Amazon and Argos deals are winning UK Black Friday 2015 and Christmas online shopping race November 3, 2015 It looks like Father Christmas is planning to do most of his shopping at Amazon and Argos this year after an analysis of Google’s most popular Christmas search terms showed that the two retail giants have taken the greatest share of visits over the last three months. Linkdex has crunched data on 7,000 Christmas-related keyword [...]
UK businesses to face squeeze in rents over next 12 months November 3, 2015 UK business are predicted to come under increasing pressure from rising rents as the economy gathers pace and competition for space heats up, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has warned. In its latest commercial market survey, RICS forecasts that UK rental values will jump by four per cent over the next 12 months. Businesses [...]