Landsec boosts profit amid residential and retail pivot May 16, 2025 Property investment group Land Securities – known as Landsec – has reported a five per cent boost amid a strategic repositioning of the firm’s commercial property portfolio in favour of residential and retail property. Profit before tax rose to £395m from £341m, as the group plans to invest £1bn in retail and more than £2bn [...]
Central London offices ‘top pick’ for UBS real estate analysts May 15, 2025 London office real estate investment trusts (REITs) like British Land are the “top pick” for UBS analysts, as interest in the capital has surged since the start of the year. As property investors seek to move away from the US to avoid the uncertainty created by president Donald Trump, the UK has been one of [...]
Landmark Canary Wharf building given the green light May 14, 2025 Plans to construct a new landmark building in London’s Canary Wharf have been given the green light. Canary Wharf Group (CWG) has secured planning permission to build a 46-story student accommodation building in the Wood Wharf neighbourhood. The development at 7 Brannan Street will contain 912 bedrooms, increasing Canary Wharf’s current population of 3,500 students [...]
How Steven Bartlett’s first Dragons’ Den investment collapsed May 14, 2025 The full story of how the first company that Steven Bartlett invested in when he joined hit BBC One show Dragons’ Den collapsed and was rescued has been revealed for the first time. City AM reported in March that artisan cheese retailer Cheesegeek had been acquired by Scotland-based Albex Group for what was then described [...]
M&S to make £100m cyber claim from Allianz and Beazley May 14, 2025 Marks and Spencer is preparing to claim as much as £100m from its cyber insurance policy, following a major cyber attack that disrupted operations and led to the theft of some customer data. The UK retailer admitted for the first time on Tuesday that personal information, including customer contact details, dates of birth, and online [...]
US-based pawnbroker Firstcash to buy H&T May 14, 2025 A US giant has made an offer for the UK’s largest pawnbroker, H&T, taking yet another firm off London’s stock market. The deal, which was the fourth Firstcash made to the UK firm, valued the share capital of H&T at approximately £297m. It represents a premium of approximately 44 per cent to the closing price [...]
Zopa Bank: UK fintech raises £80m with its first LSE bond listing May 14, 2025 Zopa Bank has raised £80m in its first-ever London Stock Exchange bond listing as it gears up to launch current accounts. The fintech will transfer to an unlisted public company within six months following the transaction as it inches closer to the possibility of a float on the LSE. The oversubscribed fundraise was completed on the [...]
Bytes Technology warns on increased cyber risk as profit jumps May 13, 2025 Bytes Technology has warned of the increased risk of cyber threats as the Leatherhead-based business reported a jump in profit. The software supplier has upped the risk level of potential cyber threats to “increase” on its list of emerging risks, adding that it made the move “because of evolving and elevated global risk to IT [...]
Wheat and see: Farmers fear trade deal impact on bioethanol and beef markets May 13, 2025 Ministers and commentators heralded the UK’s trade deal with the United States as a political coup that will save thousands of jobs at British automakers. But changes to beef and bioethanol trade rules have left an already bruised agricultural sector fearing the worst, writes Ali Lyon. When he’s not slavishly editing clips for the hundreds [...]
Financial Conduct Authority plans to ‘put public back in IPO’ May 13, 2025 After a torrid few years for the London Stock Exchange, the Financial Conduct Authority is opening new avenues to boost initial public offerings (IPOs). The City regulator told industry stakeholders at the London Stock Exchange’s annual IPO Forum last week, it would “put the P back into IPO,” sources attending the event told City AM. [...]