135 City firms switch to Dublin for post-Brexit business April 16, 2021 Dublin has been crowned the most desirable place for City jobs, as 135 firms have relocated business to the Irish capital due to Brexit, new research has revealed. Think tank New Financial has found firms to favour Dublin over its city-competitors Paris, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Amsterdam. As firms moved to the Irish capital as a result [...]
German constitutional court cuts Berlin rent cap April 15, 2021 Berlin’s rent cap has been struck down by Germany’s Constitutional Court today, as it ruled the pandemic-imposed law as invalid. The ruling comes as a huge blow for supporters of rent limits across Europe, as it pushed landlords to cut rents in the capital for over 300,000 tenants during the pandemic. The controversial cap, imposed [...]
Sweden faces sperm shortage as Covid-19 deters donors April 15, 2021 As Covid-19 has deterred donors from hospitals, Sweden has reported a shortage of sperm for assisted pregnancies, driving up waiting times by years. “We’re running out of sperm. We’ve never had so few donors as during the last year,” head of the reproduction unit at Gothenburg’s University Hospital, Ann Thurin Kjellberg, said. Waiting times have [...]
Fujifilm to focus on healthcare with $11bn investment April 15, 2021 Fujifilm has tabled plans today to invest $11bn over the next three years, in a bid to make its healthcare division its most profitable segment. The camera-maker is set to build on its “highly-functional materials businesses” so that its revenue and operating income surpass that of its film division, the company said in its medium-term [...]
Halifax: UK house prices near ‘pre-financial crash levels’ April 14, 2021 UK house prices have hit a record high despite rising at a slower rate than a year ago, according to the Halifax house price index this morning. The lender said that the affordability of houses was “close to pre-financial crisis levels”, as house prices remained historically high at an average of £252,765. The difference between [...]
City Moves: Who is switching jobs in the Square Mile this week? April 14, 2021 Snakes and Ladders provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every Wednesday afternoon. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. John Lewis hires ex-Experian lead John Lewis has appointed a new director of financial services in London this week, who will step into the new role on 14 June. Amir Goshtai, who joins [...]
EU property giants make €1.6bn move for London’s Globalworth April 14, 2021 Czech CPI Property Group and German real estate company Aroundtown SA have confirmed a €1.57bn cash offer for London-listed Globalworth Real Estate Investments this morning. The offer will go through CPI-owned Zakiono, giving the Cyprus-incorporated company 2.8m shares – which represents around 1.28 per cent of the company. CPI and Aroundtown currently hold 113.8m Globalworth [...]
Revolution Bars sees profits hammered by lockdown restrictions April 13, 2021 Cocktail bar group Revolution Bars has reported losses across the board this morning, as its profits were hammered by lockdown restrictions. In the first half of 2020, enjoying just a few months before the pandemic forced lockdown restrictions, the group raked in £81.2m in total sales. With lockdown restrictions only easing yesterday, the group has [...]
Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong jailed as media tycoon Jimmy Lai writes from prison April 13, 2021 Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong has been jailed for four months today for ‘unauthorised assembly’ and breaching an anti-mask law during a demonstration in October 2019. Among 47 others charged under a national security law, Wong is currently serving a separate 13.5-month jail term for organising an unauthorised assembly outside police headquarters in June [...]
YO! food chain to partner with WH Smith as high streets reopen April 12, 2021 Asian food chain YO! is set to trial a partnership with WH Smith this month, bringing to-go food to stores as high streets begin to reopen today. The move signals the food group’s expansion into on-the-go food and away from sit-in dining, as it also has similar partnerships with Sainsbury’s, Co-op, Tesco’s and David Lloyd Leisure [...]
