City Moves for 9 August 2013 | Who’s switching jobs August 8, 2013 Clayton Euro Risk The risk management company has announced the appointment of Konstantine Pastras as client development and strategy director. Pastras specialises in residential mortgage-backed securities. He has previously held various roles at DBRS Ratings, Fitch Ratings and Investec. Financial Conduct Authority The regulator has appointed four directors in its supervision division. William Amos was previously [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 7 August 2013 August 6, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES TPG looks for time to spend key fund TPG, one of the world’s largest private equity companies, has taken the unusual step of asking investors in its $19bn flagship fund if it can have an extra year to spend $3bn of undeployed capital, underscoring the difficulty finding good deals in the aftermath of [...]
Mazars faces accounting tribunal over First Quench pension advice August 5, 2013 THE ACCOUNTANCY watchdog is investigating Mazars and the managing partner of its London office over pension advice given to the now-defunct drinks firm First Quench Retailing. The Financial Reporting Council has made a formal complaint about Mazars and partner Richard Karmel, claiming their conduct “fell significantly short of the standards reasonably to be expected”. The [...]
National Minimum Wage turns 15 – but it still fails to help those most in need August 1, 2013 YESTERDAY, the National Minimum Wage (NMW) celebrated its fifteenth birthday. It has not been the disaster some feared – largely because the Low Pay Commission set rates conservatively, taking ability to pay into account – but nor has it entirely helped those it was designed to. Today, there is pressure to push the minimum upwards. [...]
July sees retail prices plunging at fastest pace ever recorded July 30, 2013 SHOP prices shrank again in July, declining at the fastest pace since the British Retail Consortium (BRC) began measuring them six-and-a-half years ago. The BRC’s shop price index fell by 0.5 per cent over the year to July, driven by the plummeting costs of non-food items, which dropped by 2.1 per cent. Although food prices [...]
Covent Garden portfolio sends Capco property values soaring July 30, 2013 CAPITAL & Counties (Capco) said a strong performance from its bustling Covent Garden estate helped push the total value of its property up by 13 per cent to £2.1bn in the first half of the year. The developer has been sprucing up its Covent Garden portfolio, attracting trendy restaurants and retailers including Dior and the [...]
Hammerson upbeat on signs of UK recovery July 29, 2013 HAMMERSON, the Anglo-French property firm that owns shopping centres including London’s Brent Cross, said it had seen a pick-up in overseas retailers looking to launch in the UK in a sign of returning confidence in the market. Chief executive David Atkins said despite the continued squeeze on household budgets, macro-economic conditions were showing encouraging [...]
Inside Track: Just-eat.com just might serve up a London flotation July 25, 2013 LONDON’S reputation as a host city for start-up technology groups would be enhanced if some of the larger businesses would only decide to list here. While there’s no doubt the plan to set up a hub for tech companies around Old Street roundabout is making strong progress, there are still concerns that some of the [...]
Elephant & Castle gets a lick of paint July 25, 2013 One The Elephant is the new development at the heart of the area’s regeneration, promising affordable living in Zone 1 One The Elephant is the latest big tower on the London skyline. When complete, the 37-storey building, which is designed by award winning architects Squire and Partners, will offer 254 new homes, from studios through [...]
British Land ups its dividend on upbeat outlook July 24, 2013 BRITISH Land, the property giant behind the Cheesegrater skyscraper in the City, has raised its dividend in a display of confidence as the economy shows signs of improving. The UK’s second largest listed property firm said yesterday it is raising its quarterly dividend by 2.3 per cent to 6.75p and 27p for the year, “reflecting [...]