No clocking off in Apple Watch battle: Why Swiss watchmaker H. Moser & Cie boss Edouard Meylan is bullish about the future April 26, 2015 Even without the usual queues of devoted fans outside its stores, Apple created enough hype around its long-awaited watch that when it went on sale earlier this month, the limited first run sold out within hours. The £12,000 Watch Edition – made with gold – was one of the first of its 38 style options to [...]
Intelligent design: Made.com co-founder Chloe Macintosh talks knitting and the importance of opportunities April 26, 2015 When Chloe Macintosh sat down with a friend of a friend, she didn’t expect to get a job out of it – or to go on to become the co-founder of e-commerce furniture company Made.com. But Brent Hoberman, co-founder of Lastminute.com and mydeco.com, isn’t any old coffee meet-up – and there’s nothing ordinary or unremarkable [...]
London house prices: Kensington and Chelsea is now growing more slowly than Bristol April 24, 2015 London has lost its housing crown: for the first time since 2005, central London price growth is being outpaced by cities across the UK. According to data from HomeTrack, the triple-threat of electoral uncertainty, mansion tax fears and affordability issues have conspired to slow growth in the country’s most-valuable areas. Boroughs such as Chelsea and [...]
A vision for the future of King’s Cross: Show apartment is unveiled at The Plimsoll Building April 23, 2015 King’s Cross is one of the largest and most exciting regenerations currently underway in London, and visitors got their first taste of what it would be like to live in one of its apartments last week. The interior-designed show flat at The Plimsoll Building was unveiled on the site next to Regent’s Canal and [...]
Focus on Soho: West End hotspot proves that central London never stops moving April 23, 2015 Moments away from Oxford Street and its swinging sister Carnaby Street, Soho has been frequented by artists, writers and more than a few ladies of the night over the centuries. But the recent influx of boutiques, gourmet burger chains and private members’ clubs means the area has caught the eye of London’s prime property developers. [...]
Maximum excitement on Arsenal v Chelsea April 23, 2015 ARSENAL versus Chelsea promises to be an enthralling encounter with the Gunners looking to end a seven-match winless run against their London rivals. Arsene Wenger’s side have failed to score in their last four against the Blues and have shipped 10 goals in that time. But with Chelsea missing their three main strikers, the setting [...]
General Election 2015: David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg on how they’re going to solve the housing crisis (and which is their favourite room) April 23, 2015 House prices are too high and there aren't enough homes on the market, a new – not altogether surprising – study has suggested. But with an election just days away, property search giant Rightmove, which conducted the research, decided to take it to the leaders of each party to see what they're going to do [...]
UK house prices: Is this the return of the first-time buyer? April 23, 2015 As UK house prices have risen, so has the story of the death of the first-time buyer. New data suggests this despair may have come too soon, however. A third of people feel better placed to move home than they did 12 months ago, despite wage growth lagging far behind house price inflation. The figures [...]
Taylor Wimpey upbeat on UK housing market as buyers shake off General Election jitters April 23, 2015 The figures Taylor Wimpey has made an upbeat start to 2015, with an average private net reservation rate of 0.76 sales per outlet per week for the year to date – suggesting house buyers aren't worried about the impact of the general election (and given housebuilding is one of the few sectors that stands to benefit, [...]
How to avoid a hangover: Investing in fine wine April 23, 2015 Tom Welsh examines the risks and opportunities of this alternative asset class. At an auction in Hong Kong late last year, the record for the most expensive super-lot of wine ever sold was broken. Going for the equivalent of about $1,700 per glass, 114 bottles of Romanee- Conti Burgundy were bought for approximately $1.6m by [...]