Segro to raise £650m through private share placement to pursue ‘opportunities’ June 9, 2020 Property investment firm Segro has announced it will raise £650m through a private share placement to pursue “opportunities” across the UK and Europe. In a statement released after markets closed, Segro said the new equity would allow it to “take advantage of additional investment opportunities across the UK and Continental Europe through further, mostly pre-let, [...]
Bellway cautious on trading after coronavirus lockdown forces house sales down June 9, 2020 British housebuilder Bellway sold about 1,000 fewer homes between August and May, after it closed its centres because of the coronavirus lockdown. The Newcastle-based company, which has restarted construction activity on around 230 sites, warned this morning that it expects sales activity to be “severely constrained”, driving shares down 2.7 per cent. Bellway sold 6,721 [...]
Retail landlord Intu puts KPMG on standby to act as administrator June 7, 2020 Embattled retail landlord Intu Properties has reportedly lined up KPMG to handle its insolvency process ahead of a testing fortnight. Intu has placed the Big Four accountancy firm on standby in the event that lenders refuse to grant a standstill on its debt obligations, according to Sky News. The landlord, which owns Manchester’s Trafford Centre, [...]
UK house prices drop for third month running as coronavirus bites June 5, 2020 UK house prices fell for the third month in a row in May as coronavirus continued to plague the property market, according to a closely watched gauge. However, the drop slowed compared to April. Prices fell 0.2 per cent month on month in May, the Halifax house price index showed. This compared with a 0.6 [...]
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey reports surge in demand after sales centres reopen June 5, 2020 Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey reported a “very high” level of demand for appointments at its sale centres and show homes after reopening last month. The development company said the majority of its show homes and sales centres in England had reopened after the government lifted restrictions on the UK housing market. Since sales centres reopened there [...]
UK construction sector decline slows but industry remains gloomy June 4, 2020 The rapid decline in the UK construction sector slowed somewhat in May, but firms remained deeply pessimistic as the industry was battered by coronavirus. The IHS Markit/Cips construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 28.9 in May from a record low of 8.2 in April. Yet a score of 50 indicates that the sector contracted [...]
The key to fixing the housing and social care sectors — with one policy June 3, 2020 Few would deny we have a housing crisis in this country — and even fewer that the social care system, which has suffered so much in recent weeks, needs urgent reform. These two facts may seem to have little correlation, but a report out today from Cass Business School and ARCO — entitled Too Little, [...]
UK mortgage approvals plunge to record low during lockdown June 2, 2020 UK household borrowing dried up at a record rate in April and mortgage approvals plunged to their lowest since 1993 as consumers drew in their horns while the economy was ravaged by coronavirus. Instead of borrowing, households repaid their debts at a record pace. They returned £7.4bn to banks in the largest net repayment since [...]
UK house prices tumble at fastest rate since 2009 amid coronavirus June 2, 2020 UK house prices dropped at the fastest rate since the financial crisis in February 2009 last month, figures have shown, as the coronavirus pandemic brought the property market to a standstill. House prices tumbled by 1.7 per cent in May compared to growth of 0.9 per cent a month earlier, according to the closely watched [...]
Property giant Capco snaps up 26 per cent stake in rival Shaftesbury in £436m deal June 1, 2020 UK property manager Capco has acquired a 26 per cent stake in London-focused property firm Shaftesbury for £436m. Capco has bought the stake from a trust set up by Hong Kong tycoon Samuel Tak Lee for 540p per share, representing a discount of 13.9 per cent to the closing Shaftesbury share price on 29 May. [...]