Buy-to-lose? With new restrictions on buy-to-let mortgages and the introduction of other punitive measures in 2017, is there any value left in letting for mortgaged landlords? January 11, 2017 As we enter 2017, the tide has truly turned against Britain’s buy-to-let landlords. First, George Osborne discouraged people from buying a second residential property by imposing extra stamp duty of 3 per cent. Now, the Bank of England is demanding that mortgage lenders “stress test” loans to landlords. Since 1 January, the Bank’s Prudential Regulation [...]
Our chef columnist Mark Hix on his enduring love for black pudding and the dish that made him fall in love with it January 10, 2017 I’ve been hooked on black pudding ever since it first passed my lips as a kid. There was just something about it I loved, even though the blood pudding I grew up with probably contained way too much rusk or filler and not enough actual meat, which was cheap and low quality. Maybe it was [...]
Just Eat reported order growth of 36 per cent for 2016, but shares dropped eight per cent January 10, 2017 Just Eat today announced like-for-like orders grew 36 per cent in 2016, but shares in the company fell up to eight per cent in early trading. The share price was down 5.66 per cent to 550p at the time of publishing. The company said group reported growth, which includes orders from recent acquisitions in Mexico and Australia, reached 42 [...]
Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson on Channel 4 sell-off, dodging journalism and having no Brexit regrets January 9, 2017 Life could have been very different for serial entrepreneur and investor Luke Johnson. His father, Paul Johnson, is a former editor of left-wing political magazine the New Statesman. And his brother, Daniel, is the founder of political magazine Standpoint. In the tight-knit media world, it would not have been a surprise if Luke Johnson had [...]
Retailers will need to brave fierce headwinds in 2017 January 2, 2017 The high street's cold snap over Christmas and the New Year is not just seasonal. Several chills running through the sector could finally be felt with their full force in 2017. Rising inflation, falling wage growth, escalating costs and sterling's depreciation are all expected to weigh on retailers in the coming months. If inflation takes [...]
Meet Tom Vernon, the former Manchester United scout and founder of Africa’s top football academy out to turn the sport on its head December 21, 2016 There is something extraordinary about the union between FC Nordsjaelland, an unremarkable Danish first division football club to the north-west of Copenhagen, and the Right To Dream academy in Ghana. It is not just because the club, from the modest 19,000-person town of Farum, is some 5,000 miles away from Right To Dream’s football-oriented residential [...]
From Manhattan hot dog cart to Leicester Square and UK expansion: The story behind upmarket burger restaurant Shake Shack December 21, 2016 Upmarket US burger company Shake Shack started as a modest hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in Manhattan in 2001. This month, it opened a new flagship UK store in Leicester Square, its fourth this side of the pond, with two more – in Victoria and Canary Wharf – to follow early next year. [...]
Holiday delivery failures threaten to have a big impact on UK retailers’ bottom lines and tarnish reputations December 21, 2016 Delivery failures over the Christmas period are set to impact UK retailers' bottom lines as they could be missing out on more than £3bn, new research today revealed. In the UK, 16m consumers faced delivery delays over the 2015 holiday season, and 73 per cent of them still refuse to shop with the offending retailer this [...]
Uber’s financials just leaked – here’s how much it lost December 20, 2016 Uber's losses clocked in at $800m in the third quarter of the year, according to leaked documents. It brings total losses to more than $2.2bn for the first nine months of the year, while revenues for the startup are expected to come in at $5.5bn for the year, according to the figures first reported by The Information, indicating [...]
Six of the best freakshakes: There are only 12 days left to stuff our faces. Quick, grab one of these milkshakes with cake on top December 20, 2016 Molly Bakes Kingsland Road, E8, £7 Relatively new on the Dalston scene, this cafe is for the control freak(shake) inside you that just can’t leave dessert up to any old pastry chef. A simple menu of chocolate, raspberry, caramel and peanut butter awaits with the option to customise your toppings. mollybakes.co.uk A healthier take on [...]