London Heathrow Airport introduces FlyFit fitness studio with yoga and cardio classes for passengers to work out while they wait for a flight June 28, 2017 Got a delayed flight and already spent an hour wandering around the duty free shops? Well, Heathrow has thought of a new way for passengers to pass the time, rolling out a “wellness and fitness studio” at the airport. In a partnership with FlyFit, the London airport is opening a studio in Terminal 2 this [...]
A fintech cluster greater than the sum of its parts June 26, 2017 One of Europe’s largest financial centres and an international technology hub, Edinburgh will play a leading role in driving the UK’s £20bn fintech industry and shaping a fast-moving global industry. Edinburgh’s financial credentials are beyond question. As the UK's second largest financial services centre, and the fourth largest in Europe, the city claims the lion’s [...]
Venture funding from the Business Growth Fund (BGF), Episode1 and Entrepreneur First for biometric recognition company AimBrain could change the face of retail banking June 20, 2017 AimBrain, a biometric recognition business, could be set to change the face of retail banking after receiving £4m of venture capital funding. As banks increasingly look to explore automation and enhance security, devices ranging from mobile phones to ATMs could soon be paying much more attention to how customers look, sound and act. AimBrain’s founders, [...]
Focus On Orpington: Developers are starting to show an interest in this well-connected town in Zone 6 June 16, 2017 When house-hunting in London, the sleepy town of Orpington may not be high up your list. But there are many reasons why it should be, not least because its house price growth is among the fastest in outer London. According to estate agent JLL’s London Residential Heat Map, house prices in the BR6 postcode grew [...]
Hurry up: Bank regulator warns tight deadline for ring-fencing poses big risks for British banks June 16, 2017 British banks rushing to carry out capital ring-fencing have little room for error, with big risks of disruptions for customers, according to a senior regulator. There is a “high degree of delivery risk” involved in bringing the plans into place, according to James Proudman, an executive director at the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) in charge [...]
UK general election: what a hung parliament means for markets June 9, 2017 The UK general election has resulted in a hung parliament, with no party commanding an overall majority. The Conservatives have emerged as the largest party and will likely seek to form a minority government. The result is unexpected. Polls during the election campaign had generally pointed towards a comfortable Conservative majority. Our panel of investment [...]
UK retail sales slide as consumers cut discretionary spending, according to British Retail Consortium June 6, 2017 Retail sales fell back again last month as consumers started counting the pennies and cut their discretionary spending. Like-for-like retail sales were down by 0.4 per cent in May, according to figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC), falling back from the sales boost the sector received over the Easter holiday. Non-food retailers dragged on [...]
What Brexit, the General Election and foreign demand means for London’s commercial property market June 5, 2017 Martin Samworth practically lives on a plane. As the chief executive for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for one of the world’s largest property consultancies CBRE, he’s a busy man. In the last few weeks, he has travelled to Madrid, Colorado, Dusseldorf, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Lisbon, and New York. The property veteran, who joined [...]
AEW UK long lease real estate investment trust (REIT) raises £80.5m in initial public offering June 1, 2017 AEW UK’s long lease real estate investment trust (REIT) has raised £80.5m in an initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange today. AEW UK Investment Management, which is the British subsidiary of AEW Global, said last month it is hoping to raise up to £150m in the IPO. The proceeds are expected to [...]
Leisure will be key to the future of London retail May 30, 2017 London retail has a positive future. Hardly a revolutionary statement in isolation, particularly to the many millions of people who live, work and visit the capital and experience its unparalleled consumer offer. However, there are challenges too: technology, changing shopper habits, and predictions of falling consumer confidence. April saw the biggest quarterly fall in retail [...]