Cost-cutting overhaul unveiled as McCarthy & Stone shares climb September 25, 2018 McCarthy & Stone shares climbed more than seven per cent in morning trading, after the retirement housebuilder unveiled a new direction which is to focus more on cost-cutting and less on expansion. As part of the overhaul the FTSE 250 firm said that John Tonkiss, the company’s chief operating officer, will take over as [...]
Kanye West, rap’s most enigmatic star, has dreams of making affordable, brutalist homes September 24, 2018 The students were a combination of shocked and awed when their lecturer jumped on top of a desk and cried, “The world can be saved through design!” It could have been a scene from 1989’s Dead Poets Society, but in fact it was an overexcited Kanye West taking a class at Harvard Graduate School of [...]
German money rises in West End after Verde deal September 24, 2018 German investment in the West End has reached £515m for the year-to-date on the back of last week's announcement that German fund manager Deka Immobilien GmbH completing one of the largest deals this summer, buying the Verde office building in Victoria for roughly £460m on Friday. The deal pushed investment levels up to £515m, compared with £476m [...]
West End retailers ‘hit by staff shortages’ as property boss urges action on visa rules September 24, 2018 London’s renowned West End retail economy is under threat from staff shortages, according to the boss of one of the area’s largest investment firms. Shaftesbury Group’s chief executive Brian Bickell, whose £3.86bn FTSE 250 property company represents nearly 600 West End businesses, told City A.M. that a combination of tight visa restrictions and uncertainty around EU [...]
Opinion: How do you know when you’ve got a terrible property managing agent and what do you need to do about it? September 24, 2018 It’s fewer than 100 days until Christmas so now’s the time to ask Santa to bring you better estate managers for 2019. The process of changing agents tends to take at least three months, which is a long time to put up with under-performance but if you start now, you and your neighbours could start [...]
How much is your property’s view of the London skyline worth and are some landmarks worth more than others? September 24, 2018 As the capital’s residential buildings get taller and the views more panoramic, the new kids on the London skyline are bringing the capital into sharper focus for property buyers. The Shard, Cheesegrater and Walkie Talkie are now vying for attention with the likes of age-old landmarks like Tower Bridge or the historic royal palaces. For [...]
Interiors: Discover the hot decor trend for AW18, the Night Garden, a darker take on florals and prints September 24, 2018 This autumn, the decorating trend that’s really caught fire is dark, exotic, sensual, tactile, moody and seriously sophisticated. Full-on and fantastical, “the Night Garden” aesthetic melds two global interiors trends – prints and botanicals – and pushes them into the shadows. And by that, we mean inky blues, deep moss greens and, yes, definitely black. [...]
Holiday Homes: Limassol’s Trilogy towers puts its hopes in the power of three to lure international investors September 24, 2018 The hot weather may have prompted us to stay in the UK this summer, but the temptation to flee to warmer climes will return once the dark nights and cooler temperatures close in. The city of Limassol, Cyprus, only a four and a half hour flight away, might be the hottest place to get [...]
Focus On Stoke Newington: The affluent London village is a charming spot to find a family house in Hackney September 24, 2018 As quintessential London villages go, Stoke Newington is probably the coolest. Set in the trendy confines of the London Borough of Hackney, it escaped the decline of surrounding areas during the 1930s and still attracts an upmarket, arty clientele today. “Stoke Newington was built for London’s increasingly class conscious white collar worker,” says [...]
Property of the Week: The former ruin that’s now adored by the fashion world on sale for £2m September 24, 2018 A micro-hotel, a period masterpiece, a world-famous fashion shoot location… this extraordinary house in east London is all of these things and more. Mile End Road, Stepney Green, £2m This four-storey, four bedroom Queen Anne terrace within the Stepney Green Conservation area was one of many built by John Ireland in the 18th century [...]