Littlewoods owner Shop Direct posts record profits thanks to mobile sales boom October 27, 2015 Shop Direct has posted a 78 per cent leap in full-year profits thanks to booming mobile sales and a surge in customers flocking to its main website Very.co.uk. The online retailer, which pulled the shutters down on its catalogue business this year, said pre-tax profits reached a record £71.7m in the year to 30 June [...]
West End retailers poised for £2.3bn Christmas and Black Friday 2015 shopping bonanza October 27, 2015 West End retailers are bracing themselves for a £2.3bn shopping bonanza this Christmas, with spending set to reach its highest level since 2007, as higher disposable incomes and lower prices help boost consumer confidence. London’s main shopping streets – Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street – are expecting a 1.2 per cent uplift in sales [...]
Older homeowners tapping into their properties for cash hits 11-year high October 27, 2015 Equity release lending recorded its biggest jump in the third quarter in 11 years as more homeowners tapped into the value of their property to boost their finances. Equity release schemes are targeted at older homeowners, allowing them to take cash from the equity built up in their property without the need to sell up. [...]
Market Tech Holdings snaps up another Camden property as it eyes main market move October 26, 2015 Market Tech Holdings, the owner of the iconic Camden Market which is majority owned by Israeli entrepreneur Teddy Sagi, said it has added another property to its burgeoning north London empire and that trading was on track. The company, which owns around 14 acres of land in and around Camden, said it has bought the freehold of [...]
Burrito restaurant Chilango to raise £1m via crowdfunding platform CrowdCube October 26, 2015 Burrito restaurant Chilango has launched a new fundraising round on crowdfunding platform CrowdCube after tapping retail investors for £2m last year. The Mexican food chain said it aims raise £1m from potential investors in return for a 3.26 per cent stake in the business. Shareholders can put as little as £10 compared with last year’s mini-bond, where investors [...]
Restaurants and bars get their appetite back following Rugby World Cup 2015 boost October 26, 2015 The Rugby World Cup and greater consumer spending power thanks to falling food and petrol prices provided a much needed boost to UK bars and restaurants during the third quarter of the year. According to Begbies Traynor’s latest Red Flag update, which monitors the health of UK companies, the number of restaurants and bars experiencing “significant” [...]
Remortgage lending figures surge in September over prospect of rate hike October 26, 2015 The number of people remortgaging their properties jumped in September as homeowners rushed to secure record-low rates ahead of a potential interest rate hike next year. The latest figures from property services group LMS reveal that remortgage loans reached 28,686 last month, up 12 per cent from 25,600 in August. This is also a four per cent [...]
London house prices: Dreaming of a pad on the river Thames? Here’s how much it will cost you October 26, 2015 A room with a view always comes at a price. But that premium can be as high as 70 per cent when buying a property in London with a view of the river Thames, according to research from Cluttons. The estate agency said homes for sale on the river or with views of the Thames can [...]
US luxury firm Coach to move into Jaeger’s flagship on Regent Street October 26, 2015 AMERICAN luxury goods group Coach is moving into Jaeger’s Regent Street flagship as the retailer packs its bags after more than 80 years on the site. Jaeger and the Crown Estate, which owns the freehold to the 200-206 Regent Street store, have agreed to sell the lease to Coach, which will relocate from its smaller [...]
UK house prices at their most affordable in 13 years… but not for Londoners October 26, 2015 HOMES in England and Wales are at their most affordable in 13 years, new research from Hamptons International claims, as households benefit from rising incomes and lower cost of goods. The estate agent’s latest Ability to Buy index increased by two per cent year-on-year in the second quarter to bring it to its highest level [...]
