City rents rise as return to the office drives up demand for prime locations December 3, 2024 Available office space in London’s most sought-after areas has slumped to near record lows as businesses continue to reverse pandemic-era working from home rules. According to global property consultancy Knight Frank, availability in newly constructed office buildings has fallen to 0.3 per cent in the West End Core – which includes Mayfair and St James’s [...]
French turmoil could be a boost for the City of London, says top lawyer December 3, 2024 Political turmoil in France and geopolitical tensions between China and the US are showcasing the UK’s status as an “independent financial centre” and destination for international IPOs, a leading capital markets figure has suggested. Mark Austin, a lawyer at Latham & Watkins who has masterminded many of the City’s reform efforts over the past two [...]
Foreign firms launch £7.8bn summer deals raid on British companies December 3, 2024 A raid by international firms on UK companies accelerated over the summer as foreign buyers kicked off deals worth some £7.8bn – even as domestic mergers and acquisitions (M&A) slumped. Foreign spending on UK companies rose by 16 per cent between July and September, thanks in part to the $976m (£769m) swoop by US-based Quanex [...]
Microsoft facing £1bn overcharging claim from UK firms December 3, 2024 Microsoft is facing a £1bn legal action over claims the US giant overcharged firms for access to products. Filed to the Competition Appeal Tribunal, the claim alleges customers using rival cloud computing platforms to Microsoft’s own Azure were charged higher licensing fees to access its Windows Server. It also alleges that UK companies and organisations [...]
Shein: Why the FCA is unlikely to block a blockbuster listing December 3, 2024 The boss of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has insisted he is not the regulator of “every aspect of corporate behaviour” amid growing concerns over plans for the fast fashion retailer Shein to float on the London Stock Exchange. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said it is not within the regulator’s power to [...]
New labour force survey could be delayed to 2027 amid falling participation December 3, 2024 Since the pandemic, the ONS has struggled with falling response rates to its flagship labour force survey (LFS), which has raised questions over the accuracy of its data.
Natwest boss says government could exit stake in first half of 2025 December 3, 2024 The chief executive of Natwest has said the bank could return to full private ownership in the first half of 2025, a move that would draw a line under the government’s bailouts of lenders during the financial crisis. Speaking at the Financial Times’ Global Banking Summit on Tuesday, Paul Thwaite said he was “delighted with [...]
Profit jumps at Upper Crust owner SSP despite sluggish European performance December 3, 2024 In the 2024 financial year, the firm's operating profit jumped by 23 per cent to £206m, up from £167m last year. Pretax profit rose by 35 per cent.
Jaguar: First look at electric car revealed following rebrand backlash December 3, 2024 Jaguar has revealed the first look at its new luxury electric car following a backlash over its recent rebranding. The iconic Britich carmaker sparked criticism last month after switching up its logo to ‘JaGUar’ and launching an ad which included slogans such as “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing.” The move led to accusations Jaguar was [...]
M&S and Waitrose meal deal maker Greencore rebuilds profits December 3, 2024 Food manufacturer Greencore has experienced a “stronger than expected” year of trade as the meal deal producer rebuilds profitability ahead of 2025. The Irish business, which supplies sandwiches and sushi to the likes of M&S and Waitrose, told markets this morning that like-for-like sales jumped from 29.7 per cent to 33.2 per cent in the [...]