London falls to third in world for office costs September 17, 2013 LONDON is now the third most expensive city in the world to rent space for a business, having been knocked out of second place by New York in the first six months of the year, a report out today shows. Hong Kong has kept its title as the world’s dearest property rental market, though prices [...]
Brand Index: Account switching means banks must fight to stay current September 17, 2013 THIS WEEK, new rules took effect that will allow the UK’s 46m current account holders to switch banks in seven days. According to 2011 research from the Banking Commission, the average customer stayed with the same bank for 26 years, but with switching now easier than ever before, we could be entering a new era [...]
London’s skyline set for a new building resembling a toast rack September 17, 2013 LONDON’S iconic skyline is set for another overhaul after plans were unveiled yesterday for a new 34-storey office building to house up to 7,000 city workers. Henderson Global Investors, which manages more than $100bn in assets, wants to build the complex in the city’s insurance district at 40 Leadenhall Street. The 910,000 square feet building, [...]
Blair is surprise of the night at charity dinner September 17, 2013 TO VILLANDRY on Great Portland Street, to hear about Great Ormond Street Hospital’s £85m appeal for a children’s rare disease research centre, where former PM Tony Blair was the unannounced guest speaker. Over dinner Blair recalled how, even for him, being an unannounced speaker has its pitfalls. The politician recalled an occasion when in office [...]
Law firm BLP wants to hire a new associate: Spelling skills optional September 17, 2013 ANY BANKING and capital markets associates looking for a change of career last week might have spotted a typo-filled advert for a qualified solicitor, posted online by law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner. There were several bizarre errors in the online advert, including an opening paragraph that read: “Working with Partners who are home grown, have [...]
IAG boss stops eyeing Europe for acquisitions September 17, 2013 EUROPEAN airlines will have to cut costs at existing short-haul businesses to compete with budget airlines or struggle to stay aloft, IAG boss Willie Walsh said yesterday, adding that his firm is not looking for further acquisitions in Europe. So-called legacy carriers such as IAG, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are cutting jobs, renegotiating staff contracts [...]
Harrods executive takes a trip stateside to join Hudson’s Bay September 17, 2013 HARRODS chief merchant Marigay McKee will become president of Saks after the Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay acquires the upscale US department store operator. Saks also said that chairman and chief executive Stephen Sadove and president and chief merchant Ronald Frasch are set to leave the company once it is acquired by Hudson’s Bay The $2.4bn [...]
Domino Printing cautious over outlook despite higher sales September 17, 2013 BRITISH-based Domino Printing Sciences, developer of ink jet and laser printing technology, revealed moderate growth but warned of difficult market conditions in its interim management statement yesterday. Sales in the 10 month period ending August 2013 were seven per cent above the same period in 2012. The company warned that market conditions remained difficult and [...]
IMIC’s Afferro bid approved September 17, 2013 AIM-LISTED Afferro Mining’s shareholders resoundingly voted in favour of a proposed takeover bid from resource-focused investment house IMIC yesterday. A massive 97 per cent of shareholders and 100 per cent of optionholders gave the green light to the offer, which comprises a mix of cash and convertible loans equating to £1.20 per share. The deal, [...]
Takeover talk boosts Coastal September 17, 2013 COASTAL Energy, one of the biggest stocks on Aim, rose over five per cent yesterday despite the company playing down speculation of a potential takeover offer. The oil and gas explorer said that it “continuously evaluates opportunities to maximise shareholder value” but that there is no deal to announce at present. It is reported to [...]