Meccano-set towers: how London offices are evolving January 15, 2012 JE ne regrette rien. That is the message from Chris Grigg when we discuss his decision to quit banking in 2008 to take the reins at commercial property giant British Land. At the time, many in the City thought the former head of Barclays’ commercial bank was simply quitting one troubled industry for another; his [...]
SELL January 12, 2012 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF KAY & CO, CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY Q. Should I buy a one bedroom flat in a better location, or go for a larger flat in a less sought after location? Is square footage or location king for investment? A. Statistically, in the long run, properties in more sought after locations will [...]
PROPERTY NEWS January 12, 2012 NEW KINLEIGH FOLKARD & HAYWARD OFFICE Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward has opened a new branch in Borough. Borough as an area has been identified within Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s strategic five year branch expansion plan. With over 50 branches across London, 11 of which are located in the South East region, the new branch will [...]
Persimmon buoyed by bullish outlook January 9, 2012 SHARES in house builder Persimmon rose 2.8 per cent yesterday after it said it expects its underlying full-year pre-tax profit to rise by half, helped by higher sales margins, and said it was confident of further growth in 2012 as first time buyer interest improves. The largest UK housebuilder by market value said yesterday that [...]
Persimmon sees profits at top end of forecasts January 9, 2012 British house builder Persimmon said it expects underlying full-year pre-tax profits to rise by half, helped by higher sales margins, and said it was confident of further growth in 2012 as first time buyer interest improves. The largest UK housebuilder by market value said on Monday tighter cost control and sales on higher margin land [...]
What is in store for 2012? January 5, 2012 From initial reservations about the strength of the property market at the start of the year to the unexpected uplift in house prices as the year progressed, 2011 was not an easy year to predict. Against a continuing environment of uncertainty, we ask the experts what they think we have in store this year and [...]
BUY January 5, 2012 DIRECTOR, DOUGLAS & GORDON Q. Thinking prices would be going down last year I signed a one year rental. Values seem to be going up, should I buy or stay renting? A. It’s easy to stay in a rental if values are falling but if, like in London, they’re still going up, it’s difficult to [...]
Denmark now seen as debt safe haven January 2, 2012 DENMARK has revealed that it saw a surge in demand for its debt from international investors last year, making it the latest non-Eurozone state to cash in on the hunt for a “safe haven”. The Danish central bank said that over a third of the country’s outstanding debt is now owned by foreign buyers, up [...]
Amlin sells $150m of catastrophe bonds December 23, 2011 Amlin, the biggest listed British insurer in the Lloyd’s of London market, said it sold $150m (£95m) of catastrophe bonds to protect itself against potential losses from US earthquakes and hurricanes and European storms. The bond issue, carried out through Bermuda-based vehicle Tramline Re, is double the $75 million of cover a source said Amlin [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 19, 2011 FINACIAL TIMES NETWORK RAIL WARNED OVER BONUSES Senior management at Network Rail should forget about bonuses next year, Justine Greening, the transport secretary, said on yesterday. She was speaking after the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) found that the owner of Britain’s railway infrastructure had failed to meet its punctuality targets and was in breach [...]