London house prices: TfL files planning applications for its first residential developments at Nine Elms, Northwood and Parsons Green November 18, 2015 Transport for London (TfL) may be best known for signal failures, but London's transport authority also has recently announced plans to branch out into property development. Today it announced where its first developments will be, after it submitted planning applications in Nine Elms, Northwood and Parsons Green. Between them, the three sites will yield more [...]
Best of the Brokers for 18 November 2015 November 18, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com STANDARD CHARTERED Jefferies believes the $17bn revenues implied in Standard Chartered’s 2018 returns on an equity target of eight per cent will be “tough to achieve”, given the ongoing pressure at the bank. Five per cent returns would be more achievable in 2018 [...]
Where can I use Apple Pay in the UK? The A-Z of shops, restaurants and apps which will accept mobile payment with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus November 17, 2015 Apple launched its mobile payment service, Apple Pay, in the UK in its first mobile payment move beyond the US, capitalising on the boom in mobile and contactless payments among consumers. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users can now pay with just the tap of a smartphone, or Apple Watch, across the high street and [...]
London’s newest skyscraper – Pinnacle replacement 22 Bishopsgate – given go-ahead by City of London planners November 17, 2015 London's saddest skyscraper may yet be set for a happy ending, after a City of London planning committee gave it the thumbs up. The building formerly known as the Pinnacle – aka the "Helter Skelter", thanks to its complex, curly design – has stood half-built since 2008, after the sheer cost of the project brought it [...]
Walmart results: Asda third quarter sales drop as parent company’s performance improves November 17, 2015 Asda's chief executive Andy Clarke will be coming under greater pressure, as the troubled supermarket reveals another drop in sales. Back in August, Clarke said the supermarket had reached its nadir – but today it appears to have fallen further. Like-for-likes at the Walmart-owned grocer fell 4.5 per cent for the 13 weeks to 30 September. That [...]
Discounters Aldi and Lidl pick up the space race left by Big Four supermarkets November 15, 2015 The big four supermarkets may have called an end to the space race. But for Aldi and Lidl the race has just begun, after new figures show the discounters have submitted plans for nearly five times as many stores. The latest data from construction data firm ABI Barbour shows that Aldi has submitted 93 planning [...]
Amazon launches Pantry as it seeks a bigger slice of UK grocery market November 13, 2015 A week after it launched its first physical bookshop, Amazon is taking its retro approach further with the opening of its 'Pantry' service in the UK tomorrow. In a bid to take home a bigger slice of the £177.5bn UK grocery market, Pantry will offer Amazon Prime customers next-day delivery on over 4,000 "everyday essentials", including major food and drink brands, household supplies, child [...]
Marks and Spencer, Carlsberg, Young & Co Brewery: Best of the Brokers for 13 November 2015 November 13, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com MARKS AND SPENCER RBC Capital Markets liked what they saw at Marks & Spencer’s summer season 2016 clothing preview so much, they made the retailer RBC’s “top pick” with a target price of 700p. The broker said he was encouraged M&S was [...]
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit: A new glorious chapter in UK-India relations is beginning November 12, 2015 The visit of India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is the second landmark trip to the UK in a month, following the successful state visit by President Xi of China. Today, Modi meets the Queen and this evening he will be greeted in a manner that is normally the preserve of rock stars, by over 60,000 [...]
FTSE closes up despite losses from Sainsbury – London Report November 12, 2015 FALLS in supermarket, miner and housebuilders’ shares yesterday did not prevent the FTSE 100 rising marginally. The UK’s blue-chip index rose 0.35 per cent to 6,297 points. The largest casualty, by some way, was Sainsbury, which reported profits had slumped 18 per cent and slashed its interim dividend by a third. Sainsbury’s group sales were down [...]