Focus on Willesden: A well-connected area where North London buyers can upsize November 1, 2019 One of the universally acknowledged truths of the London housing market is that needing more space often means moving further out. But it need not mean going all the way out into the sticks – and the North West London neighbourhood of Willesden is testament to that. While it is on the zone two-three border [...]
Level up: Lessons from London for boosting the rest of the UK October 29, 2019 Britain’s economy has been distorted. London takes all the jobs, all the talent, all the investment, leaving crumbs for everyone else. For Britain to prosper, the capital needs to be cut down to size. In the wake of the financial crisis, and then of the Brexit vote, this is an argument that has become increasingly [...]
RBS swings to loss in wake of £900m PPI charges October 24, 2019 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) swung to a loss during the last quarter as a rush of payment protection insurance (PPI) claims caused a £900m hit to the lender’s balance sheet. RBS reports an operating loss of £8m for the nine months to the end of September 2019, falling from £961m in the same period last [...]
Real estate tech company Blueground launches in London October 23, 2019 Blueground, a startup providing tech-driven flexible apartment rentals, is launching in London and has raised $50m (£39m) in a funding round. The real estate tech firm offers Airbnb-style apartment rentals aimed at business travellers, offering rental lengths of one month or longer. Read more: Exclusive: Flexible office space firm Central Working falls into administration Blueground, [...]
Property of the Week: Live on top of this art deco block in Kensington October 18, 2019 Choosing between period and new-build is one of the biggest decisions you have to make when buying a home. While older properties have heaps of character, quirky features and kerb appeal, the pristine, fresh-out-the-box feeling you get with a new build is hard to beat. There are die-hard fans in both camps. But for those [...]
New builds: Homes on the market in London this week, from a former modernist office in Croydon to luxury flats in Mayfair October 18, 2019 Brunel Street Works, Canning Town From £375,000 for a one-bed Brunel Street Works, a 975-home development in Canning Town, is being launched by Linden Homes this weekend. The one, two and three-bed apartments are part of a wider regeneration project which will also bring new shops, workspace and a hotel to the area. Residents will [...]
What does Britain need? More robots October 17, 2019 On Monday, the Queen’s Speech set out the government’s legislative plans, starting with tackling all things Brexit, before laying out a radical programme to shake the country out of its current torpor. Leaving aside whether any of this legislative programme manages to get through parliament, I would argue that one of the most critical issues [...]
The Hundred draft: How it will work, when it is happening and where to watch it October 16, 2019 English cricket is set to break new ground this weekend when a draft process takes place for The Hundred ahead of next summer’s much-anticipated start date. The look of the new eight-team, 100-ball competition, due to run from 7 July to 16 August 2020, has been gradually rolled out. Over recent months, the format, team [...]
Seplat Petroleum expands production with £382m purchase of Eland Oil & Gas October 15, 2019 Nigerian oil company Seplat Petroleum is set to acquire London-listed Eland Oil & Gas for £382m. The West African oil group will pay 166 pence per share for Eland, which translates into a premium of 28.5 per cent from the company’s closing price on Monday. Read more: Afren in talks to recapitalise after Seplat deal [...]
Musical shares: Why Merck Mercuriadis believes the old ones are always the best October 14, 2019 Merck Mercuriadis has a party trick. If you tell the veteran music mogul-turned City slicker your favourite band, he’ll name an older band that influenced them. Like a Spotify algorithm, but in real life. Mercuriadis’s encyclopedic music knowledge is hardly surprising. Over his career he has managed artists including Morrissey, Beyonce and Elton John, and [...]