The return of the mega project helps value of construction schemes hit £74bn in 2015 January 21, 2016 Construction projects soared by £10bn in value last year to £74bn thanks to a resurgence in large-scale schemes. The number of projects commissioned in 2015 decreased by 4.7 per cent year-on-year to under 12,000. However, the total value increased overall as schemes grew bigger, with the average project value rising by 18 per cent to [...]
O2 arena plans for a new designer outlet win £185m backing from Lloyds Banking Group January 21, 2016 Lloyds Banking Group is backing the owners of the O2 arena in Greenwich with a £185m loan to finance the building of a new designer shopping outlet to rival Bicester Village and Wembley. The loan by Lloyds’ commercial banking arm will allow the O2’s owners AEG and Crosstree Real Estate, to push ahead with the [...]
Budget fitness chain Pure Gym launches upmarket cycling studio in the City January 21, 2016 Budget fitness chain Pure Gym has gone upmarket after launching a luxury fixed cycling studio in the City. The company, which is eyeing a stock market float, said Pure Ride opened today at Moorgate will offer up to 60 cycling classes a week, including high-intensity workouts developed with Olympic cycling champion Sir Chris Hoy. Classes cost between £16 and £20 per session [...]
UK housing shortage hits mortgage lending in December January 21, 2016 Mortgage lending fell in December as a shortage of new homes, higher prices and recent government measures such as stamp duty reforms weighed on the property market. Figures from e.surv chartered surveyors today showed there were 68,218 house purchase approvals in December, down 3.1 per cent from 70,410 in November. E.surv director Richard Sexton, said. [...]
Pets at Home share price jumps as it shakes off flea problem January 20, 2016 Pets at Home shares have risen by five per cent in early morning trading as the retailer put a bad flea season behind it and expanded with seven new superstores across the UK. The FTSE 250 pet products and services retailer said like-for-like sales rose by 2.2 per cent in the third quarter to 31 [...]
Britons’ thirst for prosecco gets sales fizzing at Virgin Wines January 19, 2016 Virgin Wines has posted its strongest Christmas on record after sales of prosecco bubbled over to replace champagne as the fizz of choice over Christmas and New Year. The online wine retailer said it sold 51,000 bottles of prosecco in December alone compared with 38,000 in 2014, which was five times the number of champagne [...]
SCS shares soar as sofa chain hikes full-year profit expectations January 19, 2016 Sofa and floorings chain ScS’s share price has soared by almost 17 per cent after the company said it expects full-year profits to beat City forecasts. In an unscheduled update the retailer, which floated last year, said trading over the key Christmas and January sales period was strong within both its 97 ScS stores and 30 [...]
Is this the cheapest house in Belgravia? Six-bed house goes under the hammer for £900,000 January 19, 2016 NULL
MySale shares jump as flash sales website backed by Sir Philip Green swings back into profit January 19, 2016 MySale, the Australian flash sales website 25 per cent owned by Sir Philip Green's wife Tina, has swung back into profit in the first half after blaming marketing and expansion costs for posting heavy losses last year. The UK-listed online fashion retailer, which operates in the UK, New Zealand, and Asia, as well as Australia, [...]
British Land posts upbeat third quarter as London mayor Boris Johnson approves Norton Folgate plans January 19, 2016 Customers flocking to British Land’s shopping centres and ongoing demand for its offices helped the landlord deliver a strong performance in the third quarter, as the group also revealed that plans for a controversial Shoreditch scheme had been approved. The FTSE 100 property giant said retail footfall rose by two per cent over the Christmas quarter, with Meadowhall [...]
