L&Q and Development Securities in £150m regeneration contract on Edgeware Road December 22, 2014 Property firms L&Q and Development Securities have entered into a partnership to deliver the new £150m regeneration project at 399 Edgware Road in north west London. The planned residential quarter, which is currently a vacant site, will include 183 apartments and townhouses for private sale set around landscaped gardens as well as cafes, shops and [...]
Which were the best and worst investments of 2014? December 22, 2014 This year low interest rates have seen investors who bet on traditional investments receive returns tantamount to chickenfeed. Perhaps we should have given up before we'd all even started? Perhaps not. Investors who plumped for chocolate, property, the US dollar and Aim-listed company Fitbug would have watched as their money practically grew on trees. Conversely, [...]
Kingfisher sells off B&Q business in China for £140m December 22, 2014 Kingfisher has agreed to sell a controlling stake in its Chinese B&Q business to Wumei Holdings for £140m. The retail group had been looking for a “strategic partner” for its business in China in order to focus on the larger and more lucrative European market said newly installed Kingfisher chief Véronique Laury. B&Q first opened [...]
US hopes Santa rally pushes on – The week ahead on Wall St December 21, 2014 HOUSING, consumer spending and income data will fill the void in company results due in the US this week. Official statistics are due today on existing home sales. Tuesday will see the house price index along with the new homes sales data. Income and consumption data such as durable goods orders, GDP final figures, personal [...]
Content isn’t just for Christmas: Reflections on 2014’s seasonal ads December 21, 2014 One of the wonders of Christmas is the gift of giving, and brand marketers have been wrapping up content in abundance this Christmas. For the major retailers, it’s no longer simply about occupying the most television airtime over the festive period. Content now starts with YouTube and Facebook, becomes amplified through Twitter and is spun [...]
Panic Saturday: Consumers to splash out £1.2bn in run up to Christmas December 20, 2014 In the last Saturday before Christmas 13m shoppers are set to shell out £1.2bn, according to the Centre for Retail Research. The research claims this year's shopping bonanza will see a seven per cent rise in spending compared to last year. Consumers will be spending £2.1m every minute the equivalent of £92.31 per person. Sales [...]
Tesco’s share price is on the rise December 19, 2014 Tesco's share price is on the rise. The beleagued supermarket was up four per cent at pixel time, making it the best performing stock on the FTSE 100 so far today. That's a trend that stretches back the whole week (more or less), with the share price starting at 165.9p on Monday morning [...]
Lord Myners report rescues Vince Cable over Royal Mail IPO December 18, 2014 The government received unexpected praise over Royal Mail’s float. But the City is being told to make some changes. One quick glance at the share price told the City’s critics’ everything they wanted to hear. The Royal Mail privatisation was another classic case of over-paid charlatans ripping the taxpayer off to the tune of [...]
Black Friday 2014 lifts UK retail growth to 10-year high December 18, 2014 UK retail sales growth surged to a 10-year high in November thanks to roaring trade on Black Friday weekend, when retailers offered discounts on thousands of products. Falling commodity prices and the ongoing supermarket price wars have left households better off and helped boost consumer spending. Retail sales volumes rose 1.6 per cent on the [...]
Shell sells Norwegian units to St1 and enters joint venture in Scandinavia December 18, 2014 Shell announced the sale of parts of its Norwegian operations to Finnish energy firm St1 yesterday for an undisclosed fee, further divesting its downstream activities. Shell will sell its retail, commercial fuels, and supply and distribution logistics businesses to the Helsinki-based firm, which already owns Shell-branded petrol station in Finland and Sweden. [...]