Vinyl revival prompts a boom in turntable sales for John Lewis May 5, 2015 Once seen as the domain of DJs and Hackney hipsters, the humble record has returned to its former glory as a mainstream trend. Past predictions that vinyl would go the way of the cassette tape have proved incorrect, according to John Lewis, which has reported a 240 per cent increase in turntables in 2015. The [...]
UK house prices grow nearly 12 per cent in a year – but in London it’s closer to 20 per cent October 14, 2014 The average price of a UK house rose by 11.7 per cent in the year to August, with London still leading the way. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics this morning showed that house price inflation was strongest in England, up 12.2 per cent, followed by Northern Ireland, where prices rose 9.6 [...]
Mark Carney wants power to limit your mortgage if house price boom threatens banks October 2, 2014 The Bank of England wants major new powers to cap mortgage loans, yesterday arguing it may need to rein in the housing market if the price boom starts to endanger banks. Officials want the ability to cap the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of mortgages, as well as the debt to income ratios of some borrowers. The demands [...]
Tesco share price dips on Dunnhumby and Korea deal discount troubles August 12, 2015 More troubles could be coming down the checkout line for supermarket boss Dave Lewis. Tesco is in for a "big blow" if it fails to make the £2bn it has been expecting on the sale of its Dunnhumby data arm, a deal which has had several firms scrambling to make an offer. The deal may [...]
Hipstergeddon? Etsy share price plummets in after-hours trading as as losses jump May 19, 2015 Shares in newly-floated craft site Etsy fell as much as 15 per cent in after-hours trading after its first results since it listed showed its net loss for the three months to the end of March had risen to $36.6m, from $500,000 during the same period last year. That's enough to put a droop in [...]
Tesco’s Dunnhumby has another suitor as Hellman & Friedman join WPP, Nielsen and several private equity firms June 7, 2015 Yet another company has joined the clamor for a slice of Tesco's data business which was behind the supermarket's hugely successful Clubcard loyalty scheme. Hellman & Friedman, the US private equity firm, is the latest bidder said to be interested in Dunnhumby, joining a crowded line-up of potential buyers willing to splash out as much as [...]
As David Cameron vows to crack down on corrupt foreigners buying London properties, can PM lift the shroud of secrecy? July 30, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron grabbed headlines this week when he said: “There is no place for dirty money in Britain.” Vowing to remove a “shroud of secrecy” surrounding luxury London properties owned by offshore holding companies, the Prime Minister said in a speech in Singapore that the UK “must not become a safe haven for [...]
Rents and house prices cool from summer boom September 30, 2014 THE PROPERTY market appears to be giving a glimmer of hope to prospective first-time buyers, with house price growth slowing in September and landlords saying they expect lower rent increases. Nationwide’s house price index, released yesterday, fell 0.2 per cent from August to September which knocks annual growth down to 9.4 per cent from 11 [...]
Car review: Mercedes-AMG puts the OMG into the GLE Coupé July 6, 2015 Shy and retiring types need not apply. The Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 S Coupé is not a car for those who put discretion and subtlety high on their list of priorities when looking for a new car. Almost everything about this SUV coupé reeks of vulgarity and excess. At first glance the SUV coupé looks [...]
Budget 2015: A quick guide to all the key measures March 18, 2015 Chancellor delivers good news for savers and first-time buyers as he turns up heat on banks in play for votes ahead of election. UK ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ● The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7 last year. However, the economy grew by just 0.5 per cent in the final three months of 2014, [...]