UK home building nearly half the value of all construction contracts in October November 20, 2015 Housing construction comprised nearly half the value of all UK building contracts in October, totalling £3.7bn, according to the latest Economic & Construct ion Market Review from industry analysts Barbour ABI. Overall for October, the value of residential projects is the highest since Barbour ABI started tracking the series. This has been helped by a [...]
Investec profits soaring despite crashing South African rand November 20, 2015 Investec, the dual-listed British-South African bank and asset manager, managed to beat forecasts and report 16.5 per cent operating profits,despite the falling South African rand. The bank said its profits, which were at £315m for the six months to the end of September, would have been 22 per cent, were it not for the rand falling 8.2 per cent against the [...]
Lessons in wine: To decant or not to decant, that is the question November 11, 2015 A decanter is a vessel to pour wine into; these are almost always glass or crystal and decanters come in wonderful shapes and sizes. Deciding whether to decant, or how long to decant for is a difficult question, even for the most fervent wine enthusiast. So here are some thoughts which might help you decide. [...]
Lessons in wine: Why Piedmont is a unique and wonderful region November 6, 2015 Piedmont translates as “foot of the mountains”, with the Alps to the North and West of the region. Along with Tuscany it is Italy’s most important winemaking region. In this region south of Turin we find the famous Barolo and Barbaresco wines. These are made from the same grape, Nebbiolo, which gets its name from [...]
Nissan zooms ahead in the race for customer trust November 4, 2015 It's been a tough time for the motor industry. Volkswagen has had dieselgate which has affected 11m vehicles worldwide and led to the resignation of chief executive Martin Winterkorn. General Motors has had to recall thousands of models in the US over a potentially fatal ignition switch fault. But among those and other scandals, Japanese car [...]
Turkish Airlines Open 2015: Winner Victor Dubuisson’s tears show what it means November 3, 2015 He has had a woeful year so it was very much a case of Turkish delight for an emotional Victor Dubuisson on Sunday as the Frenchman secured his first European Tour title since his breakthrough success on the same course two years ago. The 25-year-old was in floods of tears on the 18th green in Antalya [...]
Thomas Cook report: Sorry shouldn’t be the hardest word to say November 3, 2015 When a company finds itself in crisis mode the chief executive will have a range of advice put to them. Communications and PR experts may take a view contrary to that of the company’s lawyers. Management, shareholders and media commentators may also be voicing their opinions or concerns. Ultimately, the boss has to decide how to [...]
Zac Goldsmith: The green Tory gunning for Londoners’ votes in the 2016 mayoral election November 2, 2015 Zac Goldsmith may be a long- time environmental campaigner, but this does not conflict with his ambition to foster business in London, see the capital’s economy grow and tackle problems such as housing and infrastructure. In an interview with City A.M., he said: “In the real world, environmentalism and growth go together; they’re married.” The [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 analysis: Who came out on top off the pitch – England, the All Blacks or Australia? November 2, 2015 An Australia v New Zealand final was a great spectacle for the fans and the sport, but with such a distinct lack of home nation representation,there was a nagging feeling of ‘what if?’ for England fans. Their early exit in the group stages came as an unwelcome surprise to sponsors and brands alike, with some [...]
City A.M. Awards 2015: Celebrating the best of the business world November 2, 2015 It has been a memorable year for the City, with milestones seemingly being met every week. In the last few months alone we’ve reported on some impressive trends and grounds for celebration. Financial services are powering a jobs boom, with employment in the City at an all time high. London’s tech sector has attracted record amounts [...]
