M&G reopens property fund after flogging retail assets April 20, 2021 M&G has reopened its property portfolio after flogging its retail assets more than a year after it froze dealing in the fund amid a surge in investor withdrawal requests. The asset management giant said today it will unfreeze the funds for dealing from 10 May. It suspended the property portfolio in December 2019 amid a [...]
Issa brothers’ Asda takeover hits roadblock as watchdog probes petrol station competition concerns April 20, 2021 The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the acquisition of Asda by the Issa brothers and TDR Capital over concerns that it could drive up petrol prices. The companies have said they will work with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to find a resolution within the first stage of the probe. The [...]
Frasers Group to take £200m Covid hit over third wave concerns April 9, 2021 Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, which owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser, expects to take a £200m hit due to coronavirus, and warned that further restrictions on retail are “almost certain”. Frasers Group said it anticipates a non-cash impairment of more than £200m in the value of its properties and other assets. The retailer said [...]
UK house prices reach new record high as property market booms April 9, 2021 UK house prices reached a new record high last month as government measures such as the stamp duty holiday continued to buoy the property market. Average house prices jumped 1.1 per cent compared to the previous month, hitting a record £254,606. In comparison to March last year – when the pandemic hit the UK – [...]
Boohoo opens new warehouse to boost sales growth April 9, 2021 Boohoo has secured extra warehouse space to drive sales growth, creating up to 500 new jobs. The fast fashion firm said it had secured a long-term lease for a new warehouse in Daventry, which will become operational in the second quarter of its financial year. The new warehouse space, in addition to its existing sites [...]
Fashion retail sales rebound as shoppers invest in post-lockdown outfits April 9, 2021 Fashion retail sales soared last month as the sector, which has struggled during the coronavirus pandemic, was buoyed by shoppers investing in post-lockdown outfits. Total like-for-like fashion sales jumped 57.5 per cent in March – from a base of minus 25.9 per cent in the same month last year. This marks the first positive result [...]
End of lockdown: Most UK shoppers feel safe about returning to the high street on 12 April April 8, 2021 Most consumers feel safe returning to the high street, the latest research has shown ahead of non-essential retailers reopening on 12 April. According to a survey by Deloitte, 56 per cent of shoppers will feel safe about coronavirus risks when heading out to the high street next week, a 16 percentage point increase compared to [...]
Welcome to paradise: The most expensive island homes revealed April 8, 2021 A visit to a tropical island may seem like a far-fetched dream for many Londoners, especially after a year spent lockdown. While we may not be able to leave the UK for a jetsetting adventure any time soon, some people are lucky enough to call these exclusive island properties home. From a £109.6m Fijian private [...]
Retirement property developer McCarthy Stone secures £200m to expand rental offering April 8, 2021 Retirement property developer McCarthy Stone has secured £200m in financing to expand its rental portfolio. The finance will be provided jointly by John Laing and Macquarie Capital, and will help the UK developer expand its rental properties to “a growing aging population”. Brigid Investments Limited, a special purpose vehicle formed by John Laing and Macquarie [...]
Co-op hands furlough cash back to government as profit doubles April 8, 2021 Co-op has announced it will repay furlough money received during the pandemic as the convenience store chain announced profit more than doubled last year. The firm will hand £15.5m back to the government it said this morning as it revealed that profit after tax and discontinued items was £77m, up from £33m in 2019, on [...]
