Delays hit key rail routes as fares balloon January 2, 2013 DELAYS and cancellations as well as above-inflation fare hikes greeted commuters returning to work after the festive break yesterday. As the price of a season ticket rose 4.2 per cent and the average fare increased by 3.9 per cent, some rail firms struggled to stay on track. First Great Western passengers endured the ongoing effects [...]
House prices edge higher in November January 2, 2013 THE HOUSING market saw another month of steady improvement in November, according to data from the Land Registry out yesterday. Prices edged up 0.3 per cent across England and Wales in the second last month of the year, capping off an annual increase of 0.9 per cent, the government body said, highlighting the slow but [...]
City office buildings go under the hammer January 2, 2013 THE London property market got off to a busy start yesterday after two City office sites exchanged hands. US group Hines said it has acquired Atlas House in the City (pictured left) from UBS Global Asset Management for £35m. Meanwhile Taylor Wimpey has bought St Dunstan’s House on Fetter Lane. The site has consent for [...]
Retail failures on the up amid weak demand January 2, 2013 THE NUMBER of retailers falling into administration rose by six per cent last year as the squeeze on consumer spending and the shift of spending towards the internet saw names such as JJB and Comet disappear from the high street. Figures published yesterday by Deloitte, the accountancy firm, show that 194 retailers fell into administration [...]
John Lewis boasts record sales in the Christmas trading period January 2, 2013 JOHN Lewis yesterday reported bumper sales over the festive period boosted by online orders, which now account for a quarter of the company’s total sales. The department store group reported £684.8m of sales for the five weeks to 29 December, including a record take of £31.7m for the first day of its sales in stores [...]
Never knowingly in line with the rest of the pack January 2, 2013 LAST year we waved goodbye to Comet and JJB Sports as 2012 saw the shutters pulled down on the high-street stalwarts for the last time. Those two – along with Game – didn’t even make it to the crucial Christmas sales period before calling it a day, but as January rolls round again and store managers [...]
City Views | Are you feeling more optimistic about this year than last year? January 2, 2013 CHRISTIAN MAHOOD DEFINITIVE CONSULTING I would say I am cautiously optimistic. For some reason the markets seem to be filled with renewed optimism right now. As a headhunter, you know it is tough times when people move jobs constantly, and at the moment that is not happening. BARRY CLARKE HCCI It is looking a lot [...]
Spend a month on the wagon as a dryathlete January 2, 2013 NOW that Movember has moved on and Stoptober has passed, Cancer Research UK is challenging thirsty City folk to go dry during January. For those who can’t quite stomach the prospect of a whole month on the wagon, a “golden pass” is a liquid lifeline which grants the bearer 24 guilt-free hours on the sauce. [...]
Accidental bidding at Coutts auction for ambulance charity January 2, 2013 PRIVATE bank Coutts finished 2012 by writing one very large cheque – having raised over £50,000 for the London Air Ambulance charity in the last 12 months. Staff handed over £51,705 to the trauma charity – after fundraising activities including a comedy night, treasure hunt, abseil and auction. But The Capitalist hears that one new [...]
Lamprell soars as crucial debt waiver agreed January 2, 2013 SHARES in rig maker Lamprell jumped more than 20 per cent in trading yesterday, as the beleaguered engineering firm agreed waivers to its banking covenants. The London-listed company, which issued five profit warnings last year, was due to have its debt facilities tested on 31 December. Lamprell said yesterday that it had finished the year [...]