Four improvements which need to happen before Oxford Street can be pedestrianised September 5, 2016 Sadiq Khan is under pressure to remove buses from Oxford Street to clear the way for happy shoppers – but before Oxford Street is pedestrianised there are a lot more changes the London Assembly have in mind. The London Assembly's Transport Committee wrote to Sadiq Khan today, suggesting ways to help the pedestrianisation of the street happen. Here are [...]
O2 could IPO as soon as this year September 5, 2016 Mobile network O2 could IPO as soon as this year, its owner Telefonica has revealed, after its sale to Hutchison and merger with Three was blocked by the EU. The Spanish firm's chairman Maria Alvarez-Pallete said: “We have been working to list it, so if today or in the next few weeks we decided to do so, we [...]
Hole-y moley: Gatwick flights are back to normal after a hole was found in its runway September 5, 2016 Flights are back to normal at Gatwick Airport after its main runway was closed last night following the discovery of a "hole". A spokesperson for the airport said flights had been switched to the airport's substitute runway after a routine maintenance check found the hole, although the spokesperson was unable to go into detail about what kind of [...]
Estate agent Belvoir says Brexit vote and stamp duty “unsettled” the property market September 5, 2016 UK property franchise Belvoir Lettings said this morning the property market had been "unsettled" in the lead up to the Brexit vote. Chairman and chief executive Mike Goddard said demand for property remains strong, but added that tax changes for buy to let landlords, combined with the EU referendum, meant the market's growth in the first [...]
Lloyd’s of London’s chairman says business will leave the City if it doesn’t get passporting rights post-Brexit September 5, 2016 London's status as a global insurance leader is at risk in the wake of the Brexit vote, according to Lloyd's of London boss John Nelson. Nelson, chairman of the specialist insurance market, told the BBC's Today programme this morning that the company will have to move business out of the City if it is not given guarantees [...]
Now you can open a HSBC account with a selfie September 5, 2016 Forget passwords and pins, but now its not even fingerprints or eye scanning that is replacing these traditional security measures — it's selfies. HSBC will now let its business customers open an account simply using a selfie thanks to facial tracking technology, a type of biometrics which is becoming increasingly popular among firms as a way of making [...]
Gatwick says bumper passenger numbers make case for second runway September 5, 2016 Gatwick Airport said that breaking records for passenger numbers underpinned the case for expansion at Britain’s second largest airport. Both the month of and year to August smashed previous highs – 4.8m passengers filed through the airport taking the annual number of passengers up to 42m, up 6.4 per cent on the previous year. “We’re expansion [...]
CBI beefs up London leadership team in preparation for Brexit negotiations September 5, 2016 Business group the CBI has refreshed its London leadership team as the organisation prepares for a turbulent few years representing the capital’s firms in the wake of the Brexit vote. Vivian Hunt, managing partner for top consulting firm McKinsey’s UK and Ireland offices will become chair of the CBI London council, while CBI insider and [...]
City Moves for 5 September 2016 | Who’s switching jobs September 5, 2016 United Trust Bank United Trust Bank has appointed Richard Murley as its new chairman. His appointment follows the recent retirement of previous chairman, Nicholas Clegg CBE, who fulfilled the role for the last 15 years. Richard has been chairman of the University College London Hospitals Foundation Trust (UCLH) since 2010. He is a qualified solicitor and has [...]
Marks & Spencer is in a pay row with staff and could be axing 500 jobs. Is it time to split the retailer in two? September 5, 2016 Marks & Spencer’s famous adverts (“These are not just potatoes, these are pan-shaken ready-to-roast extra-crispy King Edward potatoes…”) may have stayed ripe for mockery for over a decade, but between our guffaws lies a reluctant acceptance that the branding is absolutely spot on. M&S food halls have been a roaring success, especially among the millions of Brits [...]