Tesco’s Patrick Cescau is latest to quit in boardroom shake-up March 23, 2015 PATRICK Cescau, Tesco’s senior non-executive director who led the search for the supermarket’s new chairman, will become the latest to leave next month in an ongoing shake-up of its board and management team. Cescau, who was at one point seen as a candidate for the chairman role himself, helped recruit Barratt boss John Allan to [...]
Tory pledge lays foundations for rise in homebuilder shares March 2, 2015 SHARES in residential building companies were given a boost yesterday, after David Cameron pledged to build 200,000 new affordable homes by 2020. The homes will be sold at a 20 per cent discount, achieved by removing levies and regulation on brownfield site properties. Shares in Berkeley were up 1.45 per cent at the close, Bellway [...]
Housebuilder shares rise as Conservatives promise 200,000 cheap starter homes for first-time buyers March 2, 2015 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders bounced this morning, after the Conservatives pledged to make 200,000 "starter homes" available cheap for first-time buyers if they win the election. Shares in Taylor Wimpey rose 1.54 per cent to 147p in early trading, while Barratt rose 0.87 per cent to 520p and Persimmon rose 1.36 per cent [...]
City Moves for 27 February 2015 | Who’s switching jobs February 26, 2015 Octopus Investments The fund management firm has appointed Richard Wazacz as business line manager for venture capital trusts. He was formerly corporate development director for UK and Europe at Prudential. Wazacz has also held senior positions at Lloyds Banking Group. BLP The law firm has appointed Daniyal Ansari as partner in its real estate finance [...]
Last chance to buy at Bentley Priory RAF base: Mews house played key role in the Battle of Britain February 26, 2015 It’s customary in London’s energetic property market for buildings to change uses several times. But few have had multiple lives like Bentley Priory. The former mansion house in Stanmore, north west London, was originally a grand, private home designed by legendary architect Sir John Soanes, whose work also includes the Bank of England and the [...]
Beyond The O2 Arena: What will North Greenwich look like in 20 years? February 26, 2015 Every weekend, different tribes of people flock to The O2 Arena, from screaming One Direction fangirls to the Game of Thrones enthusiasts heading to the upcoming expo. One thing they all have in common is that they’re inevitably funnelled out of North Greenwich afterwards via the Jubilee Line, knowing next to nothing about the stretch [...]
Profits jump through the roof at Barratt February 25, 2015 BARRATT chief executive Mark Clare said its £4bn spending spree on land over the past six years had paid off after house sales reached a new high and profits soared by 74.6 per cent in the first half of the year. The housebuilder said yesterday property sale completions reached 6,971 in the six months to [...]
Barratt Developments posts massive 75 per cent profit increase February 25, 2015 The figures Barratt Developments' half-year results will make cheerful reading for the company's shareholders. Pre-tax profit at the company climbed 74 per cent, while total completions rose 12.5 per cent. Basic earnings per share were also up 78.9 per cent. Why it's interesting Barratt enjoyed a booming 2014 with stronger profits, and shareholders were treated [...]
Bovis Homes reveals record year as profits, revenue and earnings all soar February 23, 2015 The figures Bovis Homes' share price opened around two per cent higher this morning, after the home builder reported a 75 per cent rise in basic earnings per share, from 44.9p to 78.6p for the year ended 31 December 2014. A stronger average sales price and a record year for completions led to a 69 per [...]
GDP and consumer confidence rises reflect UK growth – London Report February 22, 2015 GDP growth is this week likely to be confirmed at 0.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter for the final three months of 2014. That growth is likely to be reflected further on Friday with consumer confidence for February at a 12-year high. The corporate week starts today with reports from Associated British Foods, Bovis Homes, HSBC and [...]