Apple sets new record as sales smash forecasts January 27, 2015 APPLE sales smashed even the most optimistic expectations after the tech giant sold a record number of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus smartphones over the Christmas quarter and won thousands of new fans in China. The company sold 74.5m iPhones in the first quarter to 27 December, thanks to more people switching from Android than [...]
We need to end our apathy towards money – before it’s too late January 27, 2015 IT IS an inescapable truth that the UK is facing a crisis of an ageing population. Our research shows that anyone currently under the age of 45 will not be able to rely on the state pension to provide their income in later life. Due to the ever-growing cost of living and lower savings, the [...]
Foxtons share price falls as revenues drop 12 per cent January 27, 2015 The figures Not a good day for Foxtons shareholders. Shares fell 2.4 per cent in early trading as the upmarket estate agent – known for its trendy Minis and even trendier, bar-like offices – has posted fourth quarter results showing revenues fell 12 per cent in the three months to the end of December. That was [...]
How London’s brutalist Centre Point tower is being turned into luxury flats with a view January 26, 2015 Both reviled and admired, London’s Centre Point tower at the east end of Oxford Street has stirred controversy ever since it was first erected in 1966. A beehive of concrete and glass, its brutalist-style was regarded as an eyesore on the skyline and the fact that a building of its height (it is 117 metres [...]
Sir Philip Green breaks apart his Arcadia empire with the sale of BHS January 25, 2015 Retail tycoon Sir Philip Green has decided to break apart one of Britain's biggest retail empires by selling British Home Stores (BHS). Green purchased the business, which sells mostly clothing and household items, from the Storehouse conglomerate in 2000 for £200m. It now has a significant presence on high streets across the UK, with [...]
Lack of housing hits first-time buyers January 22, 2015 Younger people are finding it difficult to get on the first rung of the housing market ladder due to a shortage of homes. A report by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published yesterday shows how the total number of houses built per year has fallen from around 250,000 in 1980 to between 150,000 to [...]
Stamp duty cut boosts house buyer deposits January 20, 2015 HOUSE buyers have redirected their stamp duty payments into bigger deposits after the Autumn Statement tax cut, the Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB) said today. The mortgage broker said deposits reached their highest level in 14 months in December. Average buyers’ deposits stood at 30.7 per cent of the total price paid in December, up from a [...]
London house prices: Unseasonable heat in the capital’s housing market January 19, 2015 After a muted end to 2014, London house prices grew 0.9 per cent in January, compared to just 0.2 per cent in the first month of 2014. 10 of the 32 boroughs surveyed by Rightmove reported asking prices having dropped in January, with the positive score for the region pushed up by some top performers. [...]
Christmas wasn’t so bad for Thorntons after all, with retail sales up in the second quarter January 19, 2015 The figures Shares in chocolate retailer Thorntons opened almost two per cent higher after it posted figures showing like-for-like retail sales went up by five per cent in the second quarter of 2014 – a turnaround from the 3.7 per cent decline in its first quarter. In the 14 weeks to 10 January, the [...]
Rush to avoid higher stamp duty lifts estate agent Savills’ profits January 15, 2015 ESTATE agent Savills has hiked its profit guidance for 2014 after changes to stamp duty came into effect at the end of last year, sending shares surging 7.3 per cent. Revenue and profit exceeded forecasts in December after a sales boost from the rise in stamp duty for properties priced over £937,000 introduced in chancellor [...]