Monitise hires chief operating officer to take on finance reins March 29, 2016 Troubled payments firm Monitise has hired a chief operating officer, who will take on the responsibilities left by former chief financial officer Brad Petzer, who left in December. Gavin James, a chartered accountant who has held a number of senior financial roles at both listed and private companies, will join the business formally by 30 June. He has been [...]
Note to our next Mayor – don’t rush towards a morning lorry ban without a thought-through plan March 24, 2016 In recent months’ mayoral election debates have seen an increasing focus on quality of life issues. Certainly everyone can agree that we all want London to remain a great place in which to live and work. However, to remain great, London also has to be a good place to run business and succeed. That’s why the growing calls [...]
Holidays to Florida and Thailand are cheaper than the same break in Spain, as terrorism fears and concerns about Greece force change in British holidays March 24, 2016 Terrorism and lingering fears about the political climate in Greece are causing unprecedented changes to the cost of holidays, new research suggests. The cost of short haul destinations such as Ibiza and Menorca has risen as Britons seek out "safe" holiday destinations, shunning the likes of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia. That means that longer-haul holidays, such as Thailand [...]
Easter weather is going to be pretty rubbish, with heavy rain, wind, hail and even snow forecast for much of the weekend March 24, 2016 Pack your wet weather gear if you're heading off for the long weekend: the Met Office is warning that there's plenty of rain coming for the long bank holiday weekend throughout the UK. First, the good news: Good Friday will be "largely fine", with plenty of dry weather, variable amounts of cloud and even some [...]
Premium high street retailer Whistles bought out by Phase Eight parent The Foschini Group for undisclosed sum March 24, 2016 Premium high street retailer Whistles has been bought out by Phase Eight parent The Foschini Group. The South African business, which owns 20 retail brands and has a footprint of more than 2,700 stores, has taken a "substantial majority" stake in the British firm, headed by Jane Shepherdson sine 2008. Foschini, which bought Phase Eight [...]
UK house prices: More than 3,000 people used right to buy last quarter – and 5,000 homes have started to be built as a result, government figures show March 24, 2016 Right to buy might still be dividing opinion, but there's one place where no one is in any doubt about its success. The government has today issued another self-congratulatory update of the controversial scheme, claiming it has helped a further 50,000 people buy a home since it was "reinvigorated" in 2012, with more than 3,000 people [...]
London house prices: Solving the capital’s housing crisis needs more than just cynical promises from mayoral hopefuls March 24, 2016 Tottenham’s resurgence near the top of the Premier League seems to have dovetailed with its housing market, which has shot up 10 per cent in a year. Massive investment across north east London from long term investors such as Grainger, Argent and Legal & General is transforming the area, with a high focus on build to rent. Crucially, many [...]
UK house prices: Ministry of Defence names new sites for thousands of home as it releases land in London, Essex, Kent and Hampshire March 24, 2016 The Ministry of Defence is to release enough land to build 7,000 new homes around the country, including parts of London, Hampshire and Kent. The MoD believes this tranche of land – the "vast majority of which" will be released in time to contribute towards the government's target of 160,000 by 2020 – will generate around £140m, which [...]
Brussels attacks: London landmarks light up with the colours of the Belgian flag to commemorate Brussels victims March 23, 2016 Landmarks throughout London – including the London Eye – are being lit up with the colours of the Belgian flag tonight as the capital commemorates the victims of yesterday's attacks in Brussels. The National Gallery has had two Belgian flags projected onto the frontage of the building. One onlooker tweeted a picture of the tribute at Trafalgar Square: [...]
It’s nearly the end of the tax year – but before getting stuck into next year’s investments, do consumers really understand how your Isa works? March 23, 2016 Since its introduction, the Isa has proved to be one of the most popular savings vehicles of choice. Every year, in the run up to the end of the tax year, savers continue to put billions of pounds away. Figures from HMRC show that in 2014/15, around 13 million adults subscribed to an Isa and since they first became [...]
