Administration filings tumble despite major retail insolvencies August 18, 2018 The number of firms falling into administration fell dramatically in the second quarter of the year, despite a series of high profile insolvencies hitting the headlines in recent months. A total 302 companies entered administration in the three months from April to June, marking a 13 per cent fall from the previous quarter. However, the figure [...]
On the Beach posts sunny forecast amid luxury acquisition August 17, 2018 Online holiday retailer On the Beach has bought a luxury high street travel agents in a move into the offline market, as the firm announced yesterday that profits are in line with expectations. The £20m acquisition of Classic Collection came amid stable projections for the year ahead, with shares rising more than 15 per cent [...]
MPs tell Hammond: Don’t even think about a vape tax August 16, 2018 An influential committee of MPs has urged the government to ease its rules on e-cigarettes in the wake of reports that the Treasury plans to slap vapers with a new sin tax. In a report which hits out at the government for “missing significant opportunities” to tackle smoking-related deaths, the Science and Technology Committee has called [...]
Countrywide of the mark as pay rebellion looms August 16, 2018 Beleaguered estate agent Countrywide could be the victim of its second shareholder rebellion in two months amid a bitter row over executive pay. Under-fire chairman Peter Long is facing the wrath of City institutions who are understood to be planning a revolt over a new incentive scheme, according to reports in Sky News. In a [...]
House prices in the capital sink to lowest level since financial crisis August 15, 2018 London house prices have fallen at their fastest annual rate since the financial crisis, dragging the UK property market down to its lowest levels of growth in five years. House prices in London tumbled 0.7 per cent in the year to June 2018, marking the sharpest decline in annual growth since a 3.2 per cent [...]
Investec fills entire City building in post-Brexit commitment August 13, 2018 Specialist banking giant Investec Asset Management has agreed to occupy the whole of 55 Gresham Street in a move that signals yet another firm commitment to the City of London post-Brexit. More than 121,000 square feet of offices spanning 11 floors will be let out in the grade A building located in the heart of [...]
Property withdrawals overtake sales for first time in two years August 12, 2018 More properties are being taken off the market than are being sold for the first time in two years, a new report has found. The findings show that in the second quarter of this year, 51 per cent of properties taken off the market were withdrawn from sale, compared with 49 of residences which were [...]
New Zealand bans foreign buyers in wake of house price bubble August 12, 2018 Famed for its pleasant green lands and quaint Hobbit villages, New Zealand might not often be the first place that is associated with a housing crisis. But in the latest sign that the country’s desperation to quell house prices have hit new depths, foreign buyers have now been banned from purchasing existing homes. Read more: [...]
City deals spurred by record year of South Korean investment August 12, 2018 South Korean investors have pumped record levels of cash into London’s commercial property market over the last six months in fresh evidence of burgeoning Asian demand for City buildings. Office investment into the UK from South Korea reached £1.1bn in the first half of 2018, doubling last year’s total level of £530m in the whole [...]
Prime time: Property prices soar for London’s most expensive homes August 10, 2018 Prices for central London’s most expensive properties have risen at their fastest levels in almost three years, amid signs that confidence is starting to return to the capital’s high-end residential market. Central London’s prime house prices rose 1.2 per cent over the second quarter of the year, marking the highest annualised growth since autumn 2015. [...]
