Central London rental demand suffers sharp drop as fewer workers move to capital February 18, 2021 Demand for London rental properties has plummeted across all areas of the capital, with central neighbourhoods suffering the sharpest drop as fewer people are moving to the city for work. The capital is the only major UK town or city facing a decline in demand, reflecting the shift to working from home that has seen [...]
Moonpig toasts ‘strongest ever’ trading in run up to Valentine’s Day February 18, 2021 Moonpig, the online greeting card platform that listed on the London Stock Exchange this month, said this morning that it expects to double revenues this year as it toasted its its “strongest ever” trading week ahead of Valentine’s Day. The digital retailer said revenue for the financial year ending 31 April 2021 is expected to [...]
Moneysupermarket profit drops as demand for travel insurance and credit products falls February 18, 2021 Moneysupermarket, the financial services price-comparison platform, suffered a fall in profit and revenue last year as lockdown restrictions caused a drop in demand for insurance and credit products. Moneysupermarket, which also owns the advice website Moneysavingexpert, said profit after tax fell 27 per cent from £94.9m in 2019 to £69.3m last year. Group revenue was [...]
Coronavirus cases fall across England ahead of lockdown easing announcement February 18, 2021 Coronavirus cases have declined strongly across England since January, according to the latest study, suggesting that the current lockdown measures have worked to drive infection rates down. The study, known as REACT-1 and led by researchers at Imperial College London, found that national prevalence was two thirds lower between 4 and 13 February than it [...]
Pub and restaurant giants circle struggling firms and property in post-pandemic expansion push February 17, 2021 Pub and restaurant giants and private equity firms are circling smaller chains and vacant properties, looking to snap up expansion opportunities at a discounted price during the Covid pandemic and reap the rewards when the industry bounces back. Merger and acquisition activity in the hospitality industry has already begun. Figures from restructuring firm Resolve showed [...]
UK house prices grow at fastest pace since 2014 – but London property slumps February 17, 2021 UK house prices grew at the fastest pace in more than six years in December, but property price growth in London slowed, according to the latest official data. The average price of a house in the UK increased 8.5 per cent in the year to December, up from 7.1 per cent in the previous months, [...]
Pubs and restaurants could open in May under lockdown exit blueprint February 17, 2021 Pubs and restaurants could reportedly open for limited trading by May under a new roadmap for exiting lockdown being drawn up by government. A blueprint for lifting coronavirus restrictions would allow rules to be eased at four-weekly intervals, with a return to more normality expected by July. The gradual reopening could begin in early April, [...]
FTSE 100 dips as UK inflation records surprise jump February 17, 2021 The FTSE 100 opened down this morning as the latest data showed UK inflation rose more than expected last month. The blue chip index suffered a 0.46 per cent dip this morning following the surprise 0.7 per cent jump in inflation. The biggest fallers were consumer goods giants Reckitt Benckiser, with a 1.56 per cent [...]
Tobacco giant Imperial Brands hires new finance chief February 17, 2021 Imperial Brands has appointed a new finance chief, with the current CFO set to step down after seven years with the tobacco firm. The company said this morning that Lukas Paravicini, currently chief financial officer of agricultural commodities group ED&F Man Holdings, will join the board from 5 August or earlier. Paravicini – who will [...]
Mass Covid testing blitz to be launched as lockdown is lifted February 17, 2021 The government is reportedly planning to launch a mass Covid testing blitz in England as lockdown is lifted. NHS Test and Trace is preparing to send out more than 400,000 rapid lateral flow tests by post each day in a bid to get the country back to normal. The campaign – provisionally titled “Are you [...]
