Argos to launch same day delivery from UK stores as Amazon extends click and collect in London October 8, 2015 Home Retail Group is going head-to-head with Amazon and other retail rivals after announcing that Argos will offer same day delivery and collection from all of its UK stores. From today, customers will be able to order online by 6pm and get an item delivered by 10pm the same day, including Sundays, Argos said. [...]
Regency Hotel to become DoubleTree by Hilton after Crimson Hotels buys it for over £100m October 8, 2015 Crimson Hotels said yesterday it has bought the Regency Hotel in Kensington for more than £100m and struck a deal with Hilton to convert it to a DoubleTree by Hilton London brand. The hotel will be Crimson’s fourth under the DoubleTree brand after signing a franchise deal with the US hotelier last year. [...]
Global rents for high-end homes at slowest rate of growth since 2010 October 8, 2015 Global rents for high-end homes grew at their slowest rate in more than five years in the second quarter, research out yesterday claimed. Knight Frank’s index of prime residential rents rose by 0.2 per cent in the year to June, down from 3.2 per cent two years earlier and marking the slowest rate of [...]
Value of European IPOs in 2015 drops following Chinese stock market crash October 8, 2015 Flotations on Europe’s stock markets raised 30 per cent less money in the third quarter than the same time last year, according to PwC, although the accountancy firm predicts a pick-up in activity before the year-end. China’s August stock market crash sent jitters across the globe, prompted businesses to put their listing plans on ice, [...]
Economists urge Bank of England to postpone interest rate rise October 8, 2015 City A.M.’s panel of economists urged the UK’s rate-setters to keep interest rates at their record low of 0.5 per cent this month, as the global economy slows and inflation remains well below its two per cent target. Professor Steve Keen, head of the school of economics, history and politics at London’s Kingston University, [...]
Adventure capital: Investors pump £1bn into London’s tech sector in 2015 October 8, 2015 Investors have pumped a record £1bn into London’s thriving tech sector this year as the capital’s digital economy rockets, with experts predicting that the capital could soon be on course to challenge Silicon Valley. Data from London & Partners, the mayor’s investment company, shows that London’s technology companies have raked in three-quarters of the [...]
Former Euromoney Global Capital worker takes on singing odyssey October 7, 2015 There's a bit of a trend developing for breaking loose from finance to try to make it as an opera singer. First, former finance director at EY Michael Bracegirdle leapt on to the classical music scene when he played the role of villain Don Jose in a production of Carmen back in August. Now a former [...]
Investment Association could be less consumer friendly after departure of Daniel Godfrey October 7, 2015 Change at the top of leading body the Investment Association could mean bad news for consumers. Daniel Godfrey departed as head of the industry group late on Tuesday after Schroders and M&G threatened to pull their membership. His role came under fire as Invesco Perpetual, Aberdeen Asset Management and Fidelity Worldwide Investment were rumoured to [...]
Conservative conference 2015: Boris Johnson urges party to oppose Heathrow expansion October 7, 2015 London mayor Boris Johnson piled extra pressure on the government yesterday, urging it to reject the Airports Commission’s recommendation to expand Heathrow, as Prime Minister David Cameron said he would give him a Cabinet post as soon as next year. In his speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Johnson warned: “If we [...]
IMF: Emerging markets slowdown has pushed global economy to edge of recession October 7, 2015 The slowdown in emerging markets such as China and Brazil has pushed the world to the brink of recession, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned yesterday. The world is perilously close to entering a recession again this year and next, according to its latest forecasts. The fund has cut its forecast for global growth by [...]