Splitting the G: Is Diageo gearing up to sell off Guinness? Business Drinks giant Diageo has announced a huge cost-savings programme which may see it shed brands and jobs in an effort to mitigate the impact of Trump’s tariffs. In an update to markets this morning, the Guinness and Johnnie Walker owner said it planned to save $500m (£373m) over the next three years through “appropriate and [...]
The Square Mile’s latest office transformation gets green light Property A huge redevelopment of 1 Moor Lane has been given the green light by the City of London Corporation as the Square Mile looks to boost its office capacity. The all-electric transformation of the building by Brookfield Properties will add 300,000 sqft (27,000 sqm) of grade-A offices to the City, increasing the amount of office [...]
Government urged to prioritise high streets or risk losing seats to Reform Retail A retail lobby group has warned that job losses in the sector could overwhelmingly affect areas at risk of turning from Labour to Reform. The Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA), made up big names like ASDA, Primark, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, found that retail is a major driver of local employment in areas where Reform made significant [...]
UK house prices continue to rise following stamp duty deadline May 19, 2025 Demand for houses has dipped following the end of first-time buyer relief on stamp duty, despite a cut in interest rates. House prices grew by 0.6 per cent in April, according to Rightmove, the lowest at this time of year since 2016. The number of new properties coming onto the market for sale is 14 [...]
PHP makes surprise third approach for Assura at £1.68bn May 16, 2025 Primary Health Properties has made a third approach for Assura as the war for the real estate investment trust heats up. PHP has offered £1.68bn for Assura, valuing its share price at 51.7p – a premium of 38.2 per cent to the company’s closing share price of 37.4 pence on February 13. This is the [...]
Safe as houses? Landsec bets on build-to-rent May 16, 2025 Property investment group Land Securities – known as Landsec – has turned away from offices and towards housebuilding in a major pivot. It said long-term demographic trends made housing a better bet than the cyclical office market, which is set to slow from its current high growth rate as supply constraints ease The company’s chief [...]
Rents near Elizabeth line stations rocket up a third since opening May 15, 2025 Rents for homes near recently-added Elizabeth line stations have shot up by more than a third since 2022 as the housing crisis in the capital continues to intensify. In some locations, prices have risen by more than 70 per cent as demand for well-connected properties soars, according to lettings software firm Goodlord. This rise outstrips [...]
Rental crisis to worsen in the next decade, says UK’s biggest landlord May 15, 2025 Ongoing supply constraints are set to worsen the UK’s rental crisis in the coming years, according to the country’s biggest landlord. Grainger said it expected rental demand to grow 20 per cent from its 2021 level by 2031, far above growth in housing supply. “The private rental market in the UK faces growing demand [and] [...]
B&M appoints ex-Tesco executive as new CEO May 15, 2025 Household goods retailer B&M has appointed ex-Tesco executive Tjeerd Jegen as its new CEO. Jegen will succeed Alex Russo, who joined the company in 2020 and was promoted to the top job in 2022. Group CFO Mike Schmidt will continue to lead the business until 16 June. Liverpool-headquartered B&M announced Russo’s departure in February this [...]
Premier Foods: Mr Kipling maker ups dividend on strong growth May 15, 2025 Revenue at Premier Foods jumped last year, driven by growth in branded goods and international sales. The Mr Kipling owner told markets this morning that adjusted profit before tax rose 8.8 per cent to £169.3m in the year ended March 29. Profit after tax rose 11 per cent, with basic earnings per share up 10 [...]
