The Old War Office in London, Winston Churchill’s former HQ, is set to be converted into a luxury hotel June 14, 2017 Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s old office is set to be converted into a luxury hotel and new residences. Raffles Hotels & Resorts, the luxury brand of AccorHotels Group, Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group and Spanish construction company Obrascon Huarte Lain Desarrollos (OHLD) are working together to renovate the iconic Old War Office building in [...]
Taking the Mickey (Mouse): Walt Disney Co. delists Euro Disney, owner of Disneyland Paris, after several bailouts June 14, 2017 Walt Disney Company, the US media conglomerate, has tied up the take-private of its only European theme park after growing tensions with shareholders. Trading in Euro Disney, the parent of Disneyland Paris, was Frozen (pun intended) yesterday as Walt Disney Co. announced the results of its tender offer and the shares were suspended from the [...]
Bluecity is expanding its electric car sharing service across London after successful Hammersmith and Fulham pilot | City A.M. June 14, 2017 Bluecity, the electric car sharing scheme, is expanding in the capital after a successful trial in Hammersmith and Fulham. The company geared up for a full London launch earlier this year by starting off with 10 cars in Hammersmith and Fulham, and plans to have up to 50 vehicles in operation by the end of [...]
The Cheesegrater’s new owner CC Land wants to buy more City skyscrapers, according to deputy chairman Dickie Wong June 14, 2017 The Chinese property giant which bought the Cheesegrater tower, the tallest building in the City of London, for £1.15bn in March is eyeing more City skyscrapers. CC Land, a Hong Kong-listed company controlled by Chinese billionaire Cheung Chung-kiu, snapped up the Leadenhall Building in the second-biggest ever sale of a UK building earlier this year. [...]
Virtual reality rocket: Sector set to swell with Brits owning 16m headsets within five years June 14, 2017 The UK virtual reality sector is set to grow at an annual rate of 76 per cent in coming years, making it the fastest growing UK entertainment and media market. A report by PwC released today estimated the entertainment and media sector will be a £72bn market in the UK by 2021. It is forecast [...]
Brexit talks: William Hague joins calls for Theresa May’s Conservatives to prioritise the UK economy over immigration June 13, 2017 Former Tory leader William Hague has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to prioritise the economy over immigration in upcoming Brexit negotiations. Hague backed the ‘Remain’ campaign in the EU referendum, but is seen as a relatively unifying figure when it comes to Brexit. Read more: Gove: Brexit plans must reflect Remainer fears after Tory election [...]
Sterling mostly unmoved against the US dollar (GBPUSD) as inflation jumps to hit four-year high of 2.9 per cent June 13, 2017 Inflation rose faster than expected in May to reach its joint highest level since April 2012, with the consumer price index (CPI) rising by 2.9 per cent over the past year. Economists had predicted inflation would stay steady at the 2.7 per cent rate recorded last month, but rising prices of recreational and cultural goods [...]
Apple and Dell join with Foxconn to bid for Toshiba chips unit, but chief executive is coy over pricing June 13, 2017 Apple and Dell have partnered with electronics giant Foxconn to bid for Toshiba’s chip unit, according to Foxconn’s chief executive Terry Gou. In an interview with Reuters, he added that US-based Kingston Technology, a maker of memory products, would also be part of the bidding group. Amazon is apparently close to joining, while Google, Microsoft [...]
The Restaurant Group has appointed Patisserie Valerie’s boss to its board June 13, 2017 The Restaurant Group today appointed the boss of bakery chain Patisserie Valerie to its board to support its turnaround plan. The owner of Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito said Paul May will join as a non-executive director on 3 July. May has worked as chief executive of Patisserie Valerie since 2006, overseeing its expansion into [...]
Google’s opening a huge new tech hub in London for training the UK in digital skills June 13, 2017 Google is opening the doors to a huge new space in London designed to give the nation training in vital digital skills. The Academy will offer lessons to anyone, from schoolchildren to chief executives, at the 40,000 sq ft space in Victoria with input from Google staff and other industry experts. Read more: The mayor [...]