How ending the letting free-for-all could save our failing high streets November 7, 2013 THE RECENT purchase of much of the retail property along London’s Queensway by Meyer Bergman and a Brunei family was a keynote deal. As all successful retail property investors know: control the mix of shops, and you control the fortunes of the area. Control the Queensway mix and you can restore a down-at-heel shopping offer [...]
US bus division helps FirstGroup to narrow losses November 6, 2013 AMERICAN buses have fuelled growth at FirstGroup while it works on overhauling its businesses in Britain, the FTSE 250 travel group said yesterday. FirstGroup narrowed its pre-tax losses to £8m in the six months to the end of September, an improvement on the £20.6m loss it posted a year ago. Revenues were up 1.6 per [...]
Australia’s Nine to raise up to $658m in float November 4, 2013 AUSTRALIA’S Nine Entertainment is seeking to raise up to A$697m ($658m) in an initial public offering (IPO), according to its prospectus filed this morning. Nine plans to sell 304.7m new and existing shares through in the float at an indicative price range of A$2.05 to A$2.35 a share, the prospectus said. The float will be [...]
Swap booze for boos this Hallowe’en October 29, 2013 Whether you’re looking for somewhere to keep the kids happy this Hallowe’en or a haunt for adults to get into the spooky frame of mind, London has something for you. So come out from behind the sofa and get down to some of these gruesome events. RAM Training’s Zombie bootcamp If the idea of being [...]
Randgold Resources eyes new opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire October 28, 2013 FTSE 100-listed miner Randgold Resources is “aggressively exploring” further opportunities in Cote d’Ivoire, its chief executive said this weekend. Randgold owns and operates Cote d’Ivoire’s largest gold mine at Tongon, which went into production at the end of 2010 and has already delivered over 600,000 ounces of gold. Mark Bristow told a media briefing in [...]
City Matters: Celebrate the soft power underpinning London’s economic fundamentals October 27, 2013 OVER the past twelve months, we have seen the UK economy, London and the City move towards a healthier position. The UK economy expanded by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter, the IMF has significantly raised its growth forecast for 2013 as a whole, London businesses feel more optimistic than at any time since [...]
US investor swoops on West End theatre company Ambassador October 21, 2013 US BUYOUT firm Providence Equity Partners yesterday made its UK debut after taking control of the theatre group behind a string of West End hits, including The Rocky Horror Show and West Side Story. Providence, which until yesterday did not have a current UK investment, has bought a controlling stake in Ambassador Theatre Group from [...]
Jol denies poor morale ahead of Palace trip October 20, 2013 FULHAM manager Martin Jol has assured the club’s fans that there is no problem with team spirit in the Cottagers’ camp, ahead of tonight’s clash with fellow strugglers Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The west Londoners won their last game at home to Stoke to ease pressure on under-fire boss Jol, yet the team still [...]
Where to drink October 17, 2013 From the top floor of Centre Point to Japanese-Peruvian fusion mixology AS NOVEMBER approaches, exciting new bars and clubs continue to open in London alongside established venues giving themselves facelifts. Zinc, perched atop the Centre Point building on its 31st floor just below Paramount, looks poised to become the highest destination lounge bar in the [...]
Tech and media firms pile into central London October 16, 2013 TECHNOLOGY, media and telecoms companies have come out in force this year, snapping up 24 per cent more office space than both 2012 and 2011 respectively, according to property consultancy Colliers International. Take-up across central London stands at 2.9m square feet (sq ft) in the year to date, driven by major deals such as Google’s [...]