By: Helen Cahill

I report on retail and property for City A.M. I have covered the investigation into BHS and London's housing crisis. You can email me on helen.cahill@cityam.com with tips or commentary.

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Brexit worries are dampening consumer confidence, says Marks and Spencer boss

May 25, 2016

Consumer confidence has been hit by uncertainty over the EU referendum and has consequences for retailers, according to Marks & Spencer boss Steve Rowe. Speaking today after Marks & Spencer posted its latest results, the company's new chief executive said short term confidence has been knocked. “Customer confidence and optimism, particularly in the short-term, in the last few [...]
M&S boss Steve Rowe: We are frustrating our customer

May 25, 2016

Marks & Spencer's new chief executive Steve Rowe has admitted the company has been "frustrating" its customer with its failure to listen properly to what shoppers want – and pledged to do more to win hearts and minds. Rowe unveiled the first parts of a major strategy designed to appeal to its lost customer as the [...]
This is just how misleading the figures are for London’s “average” house price

May 25, 2016

Ever wondered why you can't actually find a decent property in London at the city's average house price – which we're often told is £550,000? Research released today suggests that figure is actually quite misleading: less than half of London's property is at this price – and even less in prime central London locations, Emoov research shows. The [...]
Shaftesbury hikes dividend after adding to its West London portfolio

May 25, 2016

Shaftesbury posted strong half-year results this morning, with an increase in net property income, EPRA earnings and an interim dividend increase of 4.8 per cent. The property firm's net income was up by 8.8 per cent, to £42.1m, compared with £38.7m at the same point last year. The interim dividend per share for the West End property company [...]
Storage company Big Yellow hikes its dividend after a year of surging profits

May 24, 2016

The self-storage company Big Yellow boasted strong profits today after expanding its property portfolio this year. The company intends to up its storage space in the south east and has snapped-up prime sites in London for development, along with stores in Surrey and Kent. Big Yellow's revenue grew 20 per cent year-on-year, up to £101.4m at the [...]
Just Eat founder secures £1.2m funding for hairdresser booking app

May 24, 2016

A London-based startup for booking hairdressers from the founder of Just Eat has secured a £1.2m investment from 500 Startups and Seedcamp alongside angel investors, including Tom Singh, the founder of New Look. The app, Rock Pamper Scissors, is targeting millennial consumers and connecting them with salon stylists. The app will help users find where the nearest appointment is available and [...]
Brexit wouldn’t be that bad, says property boss

May 24, 2016

The incoming chief executive of property firm Helical Bar has said that the idea of Brexit is not as catastrophic as some are claiming. Speaking to City AM, Gerald Kaye said: "It's causing some uncertainty in the market, but Brexit may not be quite as bad as some people suggest. "But the money is on us remaining." Property [...]
UK property transactions down by 45 per cent in April as stamp duty changes hit

May 24, 2016

The number of property transactions in the UK fell by 45 per cent between March and April, according to new data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The figures from HMRC show 94,370 properties were sold in April compared to 164,400 in March as landlords scrambled to snap-up homes before stamp duty changes came into effect, putting a [...]
Surprise: Tickets to some of London’s biggest shows are being sold illegally on online second-hand ticket sites

May 24, 2016

Tickets to some of the biggest theatre and music events in London are being sold illegally through online second-hand ticket ticket sellers, according to research released today. Research from consumer watchdog Which? shows websites such as StubHub, Viagogo and Seatwave are selling tickets without fully informing consumers about what they're buying. Customers are not receiving details about the face [...]
JD Wetherspoon’s boss is going on a pub crawl to convince you to vote for Brexit

May 24, 2016

JD Wetherspoon chief Tim Martin is going on a pub crawl around all 100 of the company's drinking-holes over the next month to convince punters to vote for Britain to leave the EU. Martin is a staunch Brexit campaigner – he has signed several business-led letters calling for Brexit – and hopes to spread the word [...]

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By: Helen Cahill

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