London house prices up £43,115 in six months as market soars July 22, 2014 The price of an average house in London has risen by £43,115 in the first six months of this year alone, according to astonishing figures from Zoopla, more than the annual salary of an average electrical engineer. By the property website’s reckoning, average property prices in London have risen 8.2 per cent between January and [...]
Leadenhall Building to open its doors for Cheesegrater views at Open House London July 21, 2014 This year’s Open House festival of architecture, where you get to snoop around buildings you would ordinarily be tackled for trying to enter, features a star attraction: the hitherto unenjoyed view from the top of the Cheesegrater. Yes, on the 20th and 21st of September, the public will be allowed to ride the Leadenhall [...]
Lake Capital in talks to back Engine Group July 21, 2014 The Engine Group, owner of PR firm MHP Communications and ad agency WCRS, is set to announce a major investment by Lake Capital by the end of the week. The London-based company’s 13 agencies provide services including advertising, lobbying and marketing to major brands including Tesco, Coca Cola and Lloyds Banking Group. MHP also advised [...]
UK’s north sees confidence in recovery rise at fastest pace July 21, 2014 Confidence in the UK’s recovery is accelerating at the fastest pace in the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, spreading from the parts of the country that growth reached earlier. Deloitte’s latest survey of consumer confidence, out today, shows that while London and the south east of England are the most confident parts [...]
Exclusive: Wealth manager ponders market listing in London July 17, 2014 THE OWNER of sandwich takeaway chain Pret a Manger is evaluating plans to list one of the UK’s biggest wealth managers on the London stock market, the latest in a string of potential new issues from mid-market buyout firms. UK-based private equity house Bridgepoint is evaluating a potential initial public offering (IPO) for Quilter Cheviot, the [...]
Ice cream van whips up a queue at Lloyd’s July 17, 2014 Brokers upgraded their advice on ice cream and cold drinks to “buy” yesterday as temperatures in London hit 29⁰C. With temperatures expected to break through 30⁰C today, City workers, like these outside the Lloyd’s Building yesterday, will once again be queueing up for some relief from the heat.
Royalty comes to the City but did the Duke sit on the non-Royal privy? July 16, 2014 We had a royal visitor in the City yesterday as the Duke of Edinburgh headed to Fishmongers’ Hall to congratulate the winner of the annual Race for Doggett’s Coat and Badge. The race is thought to be the world’s longest running annual sporting event (next year it’ll celebrate 300 years) and sees six [...]
Clipper Round the World Yacht Race sailors veering from austerity to global QE bid July 14, 2014 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race sailors were splashing the champagne about as they arrived back in London over the weekend after a 40,000 mile round the world race. With entrants from firms including Goldman Sachs, UBS, Credit Suisse and HSBC, critics might label this sprinkling of sparkling as City excess. But organisers [...]
English firms hiring at fastest speed in more than a decade July 14, 2014 Every region of the UK saw solid growth in June, according to a major survey of companies across the country, while English firms are hiring at their fastest pace in at least 13 years. Lloyds’ latest regional purchasing managers’ index (PMI) suggests that the robust expansion continued last month, with a score of 58 for [...]
City Moves for 14 July 2014 | Who’s switching jobs July 14, 2014 FM Global The insurer has promoted current executive vice president Thomas A Lawson to president. He will succeed Shivan S Subramaniam, effective 1 January 2015. Lawson joined the firm in 1979, and was appointed to his current position in 2009. Axa Investment Managers Deborah Shire has been appointed head of structured finance at the asset [...]