House prices fall as sellers hope to beat tax deadline January 18, 2021 Average property prices fell by nearly £3,000 this month (-0.9 per cent) as sellers tried to temp buyers to squeeze in a sale before the end of the stamp duty holiday. Despite their efforts sellers are unlikely to beat the stamp duty deadline, according to Rightmove, as it typically takes more than four months to [...]
Jobs applications during December lowest in five years January 18, 2021 The number of people applying for jobs in December was the lowest it had been in five years, despite the current unemployment rate. Just 2.2 million job applications were made last month, down just more than a third (34%) when compared with the same time in 2019, according to jobs site Broadbean Technology. The job [...]
City salaries up this quarter as London weathers worst of 2020 January 18, 2021 Salaries in the City of London are up 14 per cent on the last quarter, as the city moves past the worst of the pandemic damages. The city jobs market has remained resilient despite the triple threat of the pandemic, Brexit trade deal and the US election. Brexit has also failed to deliver a big [...]
UK firms urged to increase preparations for post-Brexit trading conditions January 18, 2021 British firms who have links to EU countries are being urged to complete a six-point checklist to ensure they will not face post-Brexit disruption. Business minister Paul Scully has told British companies that trade with the EU to get an EORI number and to complete customs declarations, while telling lorry companies that cross the channel [...]
Joe Biden planning to visit UK in first trip outside North America January 17, 2021 Joe Biden is reportedly planning on visiting the UK as his first trip outside North America as US president. Biden will come to Cornwall in June for the G7 summit, however he is also now planning on visiting Boris Johnson before this date to set the foundations for a renewed Transatlantic special relationship. There had [...]
Hi-de-hi, hi-de-buy? Blackstone in for Butlin’s owner January 15, 2021 US private equity firm Blackstone is closing in on a stake in the owner of Butlin’s holiday resorts as it looks to cash in on higher demand for staycations after the pandemic. The investment giant is in advanced talks with Bourne Leisure over acquiring a significant holding in a deal that values the company at [...]
Screenshot: Is social media heading for a new era of privacy? January 15, 2021 A weekly column from City A.M. bringing you all the biggest stories and trends in technology, media and telecoms This week **Media Moment of the Week: CNN’s crowbar correction **Whatsapp’s privacy exodus **Music touring: A victim of Brexit? Media Moment of the Week Given the extent of the carnage at the Capitol last week, reporters [...]
Hammerson finance chief James Lenton to step down January 15, 2021 Hammerson has announced its chief financial officer James Lenton intends to step down after less than 15 months in the role. The company, which owns Birmingham’s Bullring shopping centre, said it had started looking for Lenton’s replacement but he would continue in his role until then. Lenton took the role in October 2019, before the [...]
UK set for double-dip recession as GDP plummets 2.6 per cent January 15, 2021 The UK economy shrank by 2.6 per cent in November as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of multiple sectors across the country, according to new figures published this morning. The Bank of England estimates Britain’s economy shrank by just over 1 per cent over the final three months of 2020. With a new lockdown in [...]
Major UK business body calls for furlough scheme extension to July January 15, 2021 One of the UK’s largest business lobbies is calling for the government to extend the furlough scheme to July and to give out a fresh round of business grants worth £25,000 each. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) also called for temporary VAT cuts and business rates relief to be extended, with the group saying [...]