Mortgage rates could be on the rise September 17, 2013 With rising costs and house price highs spooking homebuyers, shop around for a good deal NEWS that house prices in England have hit record highs – now 0.9 per cent higher than their previous peak in January 2008 – has heightened fears that the government’s Help to Buy subsidised mortgage scheme is fuelling a housing [...]
Women more dangerous than men: The top 10 celebrity searches that infected PCs this year September 17, 2013 Lily Collins is now the most dangerous celebrity to search for online in 2013. Knocking Emma Watson off the top spot, internet security company McAfee has found that a search for the actress yields a one in seven chance of ending up on a malicious site. McAfee research found that searching for the latest Lily [...]
Innovation Diary: Three things we can learn from the high growth small business gazelles September 15, 2013 OVER 350,000 new firms have been launched in the UK this year, and confidence is rising. Aldermore Bank research, released on Friday, saw small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) confidence in the economy climb for the fourth consecutive quarter. Yet this tells us little about what it takes to succeed as a UK startup. As Mark [...]
Where to Drink September 12, 2013 From NYC to London EVERY so often in a major metropolitan centre, one venue will achieve supremacy as the foremost spot to see and be seen in, and Ian Schrager’s new hotel, nestled in Fitzrovia on Berners Street, bears all of the hallmarks of one such opening. Famed for founding the zeitgeisty Studio 54 in [...]
Family homes in the suburbs perfect for broody millionaires September 12, 2013 Leafy homes near the District Line in Southfields, south west London, break million-pound mark this year, by Melissa York FAMILY-SIZED homes with space for the children to run around have always been an expensive luxury in London. Southfields was always at the more affordable end of the scale; but not any more. A host of [...]
Hedge funds snap up Mayfair office space to house new staff September 10, 2013 THE AMOUNT of West End office space occupied by hedge funds has more than doubled in the past year, according to new figures, as established hedgies lease extra room for expansion plans. Over the past 12 months the West End space taken by hedge funds has ballooned from 25,000 square feet (sq ft) to 58,000 [...]
Property firm of the year September 10, 2013 This year has seen a marked change in the property industry. Developers are more upbeat and construction activity in central London has more than trebled since activity reached a low in mid-2010. Here are our pick of developers that have been leading the activity in the market and setting the scene for what should be [...]
PwC boss sees reasons to be cheerful in flat markets September 8, 2013 Chairman Ian Powell tells Marion Dakers about how the accountancy firm is seeking new sources of growth I’M slightly concerned,” says Ian Powell. “I thought that the activity in the transfer window was tense, and we have not gotten off to the best of starts.” The chairman of PwC UK might be harbouring doubts about [...]
Exclusive: Hard Rock eyes opening of a London hotel September 4, 2013 HARD Rock International is on the hunt for a new site in London – where its first iconic cafe was born – with the view of launching a luxury hotel in the capital. The group, famed for its collection of rock and roll memorabilia, has applied to trademark the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino brand, [...]
Syria crisis highlights a new model for how the Special Relationship can work September 4, 2013 I REMEMBER the exact moment I knew I was a dinosaur. I was included in high-level meetings, aimed at assembling a coalition to buttress George W. Bush’s effort to remove Saddam Hussein. When the topic of whether the British would come along arose, everyone laughed, regardless of party or foreign policy orientation. Confused, I asked [...]