Citymapper launches contactless London travelcard that is cheaper than TfL’s Tube and bus travel fares February 20, 2019 London commuter app Citymapper has launched a new subscription service that will allow people to pay for weekly travel across all modes of transport, built into a contactless card. From launch, Citymapper Pass will cover travel on the Tube, buses, trains, Santander bikes and its own Citymapper Ride shared taxi service in zones one and two. Read more: TfL told [...]
European Medicines Agency loses £500m ruling over bid to cancel lease amid Brexit move February 20, 2019 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has lost a court battle to break a £500m London office lease in the wake of its planned move to Amsterdam post-Brexit. In a landmark case for the commercial property industry ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU, landlord Canary Wharf has won a ruling that means the EMA must [...]
Britain’s first all-vegan cheese shop causes a stink as dairy industry demands it changes branding February 19, 2019 First, it was Marks & Spencer’s cauliflower steak. Then it was Gregg’s vegan sausage rolls. Now, just when you thought you had survived Veganuary, there’s chease. Read more: On a roll: Vegan sausage roll sales help Greggs seek higher profits Yes, you read that right – chease. But, no matter how it's spelled, the dairy industry [...]
Greystar and Henderson Park snap up Telford build-to-rent site for £105m February 19, 2019 London housebuilder Telford Homes revealed this morning that it has sold one of its largest build-to-rent development sites for more than £100m. US developer Greystar and European real estate investment platform Henderson Park have snapped up the Equipment Works scheme in Walthamstow, which comprises more than 250 rental homes, for £105.5m in their latest bid to [...]
The secret to saving the high street? Fewer shops February 19, 2019 Rarely does a day pass without another report about the high street’s seemingly never-ending struggles. However, the tendency to focus purely on the ups and downs of retailers masks a more nuanced picture about what is happening in city and town centres. To properly understand its problems – and, more importantly, come up with some [...]
The Dragon Awards are on the hunt for London’s most responsible businesses February 18, 2019 In an uncertain time for business and society, it is encouraging to know that so many London-based firms remain dedicated to going the extra mile for their local communities. Businesses are increasingly doing more to benefit society and have the greatest possible impact through their working practices. I regularly meet companies that are championing responsible recruitment [...]
Proportion of foreign buyers snapping up central London homes hits six-year high February 18, 2019 The proportion of homes in prime central London bought by international buyers hit its highest level in six years in 2018 as foreign buyers cash in on a drop in the pound. Fifty-seven per cent of homes bought in the capital’s most sought-after postcodes in the second half of 2018 were snapped up by an [...]
Parliament Square brought to standstill in climate change protest February 15, 2019 Nearly 50 school strikes took place across the country today as a coalition of youth climate change organisations led walkouts, leaving London's Parliament Square in gridlock. Thousands of young people gathered in Parliament Square between 11am and 2pm, holding signs and chanting messages that called attention to climate change and the environment. The protest brought traffic to a [...]
Meet the banker-turned-restaurateur bringing the City’s dining scene to life February 14, 2019 Whatever happened to the liquid lunch? It is a question often asked with nostalgia throughout the Square Mile. Traders in pubs, City executives in boardrooms, journalists and lawyers in wine bars; the sight and smell of booze at noon was at one point in time as much a part of the City’s identity as pin-stripes [...]
Canadian tech hub One Eleven opens up first international campus in London February 14, 2019 Scale-up innovation hub One Eleven has made its first leap outside of Canada, landing in Shoreditch with a new space for London's tech firms. The North American hub's first international site is just off the City's Silicon Roundabout, a stone's throw from the former offices of the likes of Monzo and Starling Bank. One Eleven chief [...]