How gyms are filling spaces left vacant by retailers and restaurants around London April 8, 2018 Exercise is basically the new clubbing. At least, that’s what Casey Phillips, a property agent at Shelley Sandzer, tells me as we’re discussing why the fitness industry is currently booming. “Instead of getting drunk, you do a class together,” he says. “You just feel incredible afterwards.” The wellness and fitness industry is estimated to reach [...]
FTSE 100 closes lower as global markets struggle with trade war fears April 6, 2018 The FTSE closed in the red today, as fears of a trade war continued to take their toll on markets around the world and US jobs data disappointed. The FTSE 100 index was down over 15 points at 7,183.64, coming off a low of 7,163.11 earlier in the day. Data on UK productivity this morning [...]
Hammerson shrugs off retail woes as it treads water on Intu takeover ahead of Klepierre deadline April 5, 2018 Shopping centre owner Hammerson today said it had a strong start to the year despite ongoing challenges for the high street. The firm also provided an update on its proposed takeover of Intu, saying it is holding off on shareholder documents as it awaits the next move from French firm Klepierre. Earlier this month, real [...]
From vicars to City titans: Goldman Sachs, Shell and Barclays among names behind £550m Lloyds legal battle | City A.M. April 4, 2018 Today City A.M. reveals the varied and surprising names behind a massive £550m legal battle with Lloyds over its takeover of HBOS at the height of the financial crisis – and the cast includes major institutions, aristocrats, vicars and politicians. The groups, which includes institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Nomura Asset Management and pension funds [...]
Deutsche Bank: John Cryan finds it tough at the top of Germany’s totemic lender | City A.M. March 28, 2018 How do you recruit for the banking world’s hardest job? Deutsche Bank chair Paul Achleitner is probably wishing he had gone about it somewhat differently, after news of informal approaches, not denied by the bank, leaked. The role he wants to fill, chief executive, has proven problematic for the best part of five years, with [...]
Shirt pull: Classic football kits have never been bigger business thanks to the 90s fashion boom and looming World Cup March 28, 2018 During this summer’s World Cup you will be nearly as certain to spot a football fan sporting a France shirt from 1998 or West Germany’s block-patterned effort from 1990 as you are to see someone kitted out in the latest England kit. Vintage football shirts have not only become commonplace at stadiums, in the pub, [...]
The highest penthouse in Europe is at Zlotta 44 in Warsaw, Poland March 24, 2018 The sweeping shape of Daniel Libeskind’s Zlota 44 glass skyscraper in Warsaw evokes an eagle in flight, or – as the locals would have it – a sail. Those images of freedom are no accident; the locally-born architect was a child of Holocaust survivors determined to bring a new feeling of liberation to a city [...]
Interiors: Westfield London’s flagship John Lewis wants to usher the high street into the 21st century with ‘experiential’ shopping March 24, 2018 It’s been 10 years since Westfield shopping centre opened its doors to much fanfare in White City, and this week its £600m expansion opened a full six months early. Westfield London, as the west London outlet is called, is already the largest retail destination in Europe and it has more potential customers than ever as [...]
Last week in the City March 23, 2018 This week, China warned the US that it is not afraid of engaging in a trade war, the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates again, and Facebook shares plummeted after allegations that millions of users' profile data had been harvested. The FTSE 100 was down 3.5% over the course of the week by mid-session on Friday. [...]
Focus On Hackney: How the London Overground caused a price surge in E8 March 23, 2018 Though the area around Hackney Central is better known as hipster central, the property prices certainly don’t reflect the salaries of young, freelance creatives. The E8 postcode has seen some of the most dramatic house price rises in the whole of London, a trend that has survived the plateau-ing – and declines – of recent [...]