Let’s embrace No Deal and get planning for life after Brexit November 13, 2018 There is an anecdote doing the rounds at the moment where an acquaintance of a civil servant jests “I suppose you’re doing your best to stop Brexit!”, to which the official, not knowing that his friend voted Leave and was pulling his leg, replies “You bet I am, and every one of us too”. True [...]
Profits crash again as ‘frail’ McCarthy & Stone outlines plan to cut costs November 13, 2018 Profits collapsed at retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone today as it posted its full year results. Profit before tax fell 37 per cent year on year to £58.1m, down from £92.1m in 2017, as the housebuilder blamed a rise in building costs, rising operating costs, as well as extra marketing to promote its latest homes. [...]
First time buyer mortgage approvals dropped in September November 13, 2018 The number of new first-time buyer mortgages dropped by 4.5 per cent in September, driven by a slump in consumer demand due to affordability constraints in London and the south east. New home mover mortgages fell by 8.6 per cent compared to last year, with a decline in value of 5.8 per cent year-on-year, according [...]
The government is finally turning its attention to the housing crisis, but what’s missing? November 8, 2018 There's no question that the housing market is in need of drastic reform. So it was welcome news last week when the chancellor announced that the government was turning its attention to reforming the supply side of the market through a £500m Housing Infrastructure Fund and British Business Bank guarantees for SME house builders. In broader terms, there seems to [...]
Autotrader profits zoom ahead as advertising spend accelerates November 8, 2018 Autotrader stepped it up a gear in its half-year results today, with profits speeding ahead despite an industry-wide lull in car sales. The figures Revenue was up seven per cent year on year to £176.8m for the six months to the end of September, compared to £165m the same period the year before. Profit before [...]
Industry veteran Steve Morgan retires from housebuilder Redrow November 7, 2018 While much of today’s property talk has revolved around the bonus-related resignation of Persimmon boss Jeff Fairburn, rival housebuilder Redrow also bid its farewell to founder and chairman Steve Morgan. The industry veteran, who set up the FTSE 250 company in 1974, revealed he was retiring this morning a decade on from returning to the [...]
Co-operative Bank reports £87m loss but mortgage completions reach highest quarterly level for five years November 6, 2018 The Co-operative Bank reported a pre-tax loss of £87m in the first nine months of the year but had its best quarter for mortgage completions in five years. The bank posted a third quarter profit of £14.3m – a marked improvement on the £25m loss over the same period the previous year – as it [...]
The house Gianni built: A look back on the history of Versace as it settles into life as a $2bn part of Michael Kors November 5, 2018 In the window of Versace’s Sloane Street boutique there's a black hoodie. On the left shoulder, right side, and both elbows are brightly coloured silk patches featuring Grecian and Etruscan motifs. Surrounding these, and looping around the collar and hood, are thick, furry, brown trims, similar to ones that hang from my grandmother’s sofa. It [...]
Billboards and out-of-home adverts are more relevant than ever in the digital age November 5, 2018 We all know that the digital age has revolutionised marketing. The spread of the internet into every aspect of our lives and the prevalence of big data means that consumers are now served more ads (both in quantity and in relevance to our actual tastes and interests) than ever before, while marketers have had to [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend November 2, 2018 New developments on the market this week So Resi, Sydenham From £130,000 for a 25 per cent share of a two bed New homes in south east London with excellent commuting times have been released on a part-buy part-rent basis. Prospective homeowners can buy a share of a one, two or three bedroom apartment in [...]