Lack of homes is stopping older Londoners downsizing, according to YouGov and McCarthy & Stone poll April 4, 2016 More than one in four older Londoners feel there is a lack of homes to downsize to despite more than a third considering a move, a new study released yesterday has found. The poll, which was conducted by YouGov on behalf of retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone, showed that 32 per cent of adults aged [...]
Qatari Diar unveils plans to turn US embassy in Mayfair into luxury hotel April 4, 2016 The Qatari owners of the US Embassy in London’s Grosvenor Square have unveiled plans to turn the Grade II-listed landmark into a five star hotel as the US government prepares for its move to Nine Elms next year. Qatari Diar, a subsidiary of sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority, will launch a public exhibition next Monday before submitting plans to Westminster [...]
FTSE 100 traders catch breath, but oil prices still raising temperatures on steady day for markets April 4, 2016 It was easy-going on the stock markets today as investors caught a rare breather after a 2016 which has already had more than its fair share of twists and turns. The FTSE 100 closed the day up a modest 0.27 per cent at 6,164, though it was a day of up-and-down as an unconvincing mid-morning assault on last week's summit [...]
Pets Corner makes new furry friends after buying rival chain Pampurred Pets for £6m April 4, 2016 Pets Corner, the high street retailer dedicated to furry and scaly critters, has bought rival business PamPurred Pets for £6m to create the UK's second biggest pet chain. The Sussex-based company was founded by husband and wife team Mark and Sandra Richmond in 1968 and has since grown to 110 stores across the UK. The acquisition will add another [...]
Belvoir share price soars as profits at the property services group jump by a quarter April 4, 2016 Belvoir Lettings, the Aim-listed agency business which runs a network of franchises across the UK, said revenues jumped by 19 per cent to £6.9m over the year, boosted by acquisitions. Shares in the company, which counts ex-City workers and former servicemen among its franchisees, have surged by more than 13 per cent after posting a 25 per cent jump in profits to £2.2m, [...]
Elephant & Castle scheme and East Village site merged to create £1.4bn private rented sector venture April 4, 2016 The owners of the East Village residential neighbourhood on the Olympic site and the first phase of redevelopment at Elephant & Castle town centre have agreed to merge the schemes to create a vast £1.4bn private rented sector estate. Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company, Delancey’s flagship client fund, DV4, and the Dutch pension fund asset manager, APG, [...]
Slow and steady for the FTSE 100 as it stumbles into Monday, edging up in early morning trading April 4, 2016 The FTSE struggled to get going this morning with a so-so start to the first full week of the new financial year. The blue-chip index crawled up 12 points in the first hour of trading to stand at 6,158, after slipping back at the end of last week from its highest close of the year [...]
Cost of weekly supermarket shop drops for fourth month in a row to hit lowest level in over a year April 4, 2016 The cost of the average weekly grocery shop has fallen for the fourth month in a row to reach its lowest level in over a year, data released today shows. Research by price comparison site MySupermarket found that a basket of 35 staple products across the major grocers cost £84.36 in March, down 3.8 per [...]
UK house prices: south east to outperform London in 2016 as buyers seek out more affordable homes, says Cebr April 4, 2016 House price growth will slow to 4.9 per cent this year, according to a new report out today, with the south east poised to outpace the capital as buyers look for better value elsewhere. The study, published by the Centre for Economics and Business (Cebr), says 2016 is turning into a year of two halves [...]
House prices soar by 47,000 per cent in the 90 years since the Queen was born April 4, 2016 The price of the average British home has ballooned by 47,000 per cent since Queen Elizabeth II was born in April 1926, new research shows, rising from £619 to £291,505 over the past 90 years. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and analysed by Jackson-Stops & Staff to mark the Queen's birthday later [...]