Housing market braces for the New Year rush December 16, 2024 The housing market is getting ready for a big Boxing Day bounce following a seasonal dip in house prices this month. New seller asking prices dropped by 1.7 per cent in December to £360,197, according to Rightmove, but ended the year 1.4 per cent above December last year. Activity remained substantially stronger than the same [...]
Equals finally strikes £283m takeover deal with Lord Hammond-led group December 11, 2024 Equals Group is set to merge with the payments firm chaired by Lord Hammond after striking a £283m takeover deal today, potentially drawing a line under a protracted period of talks that has dragged on for more than a year. The Aim-listed payments outfit, which first addressed a potential takeover by a separate group of [...]
How to build affordable housing December 9, 2024 Any plan to actually deliver the 1.5m homes the government has committed to must be guided by pragmatism, not dogma – and lower targets for affordable housing can often result in more actually getting built, says Marc Vlessing The sudden departure of both senior leaders at Homes England is an opportunity to rethink the role [...]
The weird and wonderful world of Japanese model food December 2, 2024 Japan is famous for the way its cultural artefacts seem to evolve separately from the rest of the world. Travel to Tokyo and you can find fax machines that have continued to develop new bells and whistles long after their use in the west began its terminal decline in the 1990s. Shokuhin sanpuru (literally: food [...]
UK property market surges but warnings of Budget’s impact linger November 29, 2024 Transactions in the UK residential property hit over 100,000 in October but expects warn the full impact of the Budget has yet to be filtered in
UK housing market returns to growth as north outpaces south November 29, 2024 Zoopla has predicted positive house price growth in all regions and counties of the UK in 2025, with the north expected to outpace the south. The real estate platform has forecast sales growth at five per cent and house price growth at 2.5 per cent across the UK, with the fastest price increases in Northern [...]
The Debate: Is Black Friday actually good for business? November 28, 2024 As a tumultuous year for retail draws to an end, the next five weeks are arguably the most important for UK retailers. With consumer confidence remaining unsettled, many retailers are reportedly hopeful that the upcoming Black Friday sales will give them the boost they need to meet their targets. However, consumers are increasingly savvy about [...]
Ahead of the Game: Leicester City decide to stick with embattled sponsor November 27, 2024 Leicester City will not exercise their right to seek a new shirt sponsor after their existing partner BC.Game was declared bankrupt last week. The crypto gaming firm’s two parent companies, Blockdance BV and Small House BV, were hit with the bankruptcy order by a court on the Caribbean island of Curacao following a legal dispute [...]
The Notebook: A British DOGE? It’s more likely than you think November 25, 2024 Will Britain follow Musk's example and set up its own DOGE? It wouldn't be the first try, writes Richard Morgan Evans in today's Notebook.
UK M&A set for ‘sustained increase’ after Budget and Trump victory November 14, 2024 British M&A activity is expected to ramp up going into 2025, City advisers have said, as dealmakers feel more certainty following the Budget and US presidential election.