This 12 acre Caribbean island costs the same as a three bedroom London flat June 27, 2014 As any good economist will tell you, when you're considering a purchase ask not if you should spend the money or not but what else you could buy for the amount you're considering parting with. To put that into context, if you have £5.7m burning a hole in your pocket should you buy a three-bedroom [...]
Amazon’s lockers arrive in London Tube station car parks June 25, 2014 Amazon has introduced new lockers at Finchley Central and Newbury Park tube station car parks in a partnership between the online retail giant and Transport for London that will let customers collect their purchases at the lockers – like they can do in some Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s car parks. Amazon has lockers in over [...]
Stagecoach meets expectations as confidence in buses grows June 25, 2014 Stagecoach has announced financial results in line with the company's expectations for the year ended 30 April. Profit before taxation was in line with analysts’ forecasts of £180m. The FTSE 250 company's performance in the UK was was boosted by new contract wins in London and solid cost control. North American business has been booming, [...]
London’s iconic double deckers are about to get a lot smarter June 23, 2014 Transport for London (TfL) will be introducing screens displaying how many people are sitting upstairs and which seats are available, in a trial system to begin in two weeks. The display screens will be situated next to the driver as people board the bus and between the driver and the staircase before passengers go upstairs. [...]
The new map tool that has data geeks crying with joy June 23, 2014 Two University College London (UCL) researchers have set up a paradise for data-lovers, giving people the ability to map a huge range of social and economic indicators onto their own area, or any in England and Wales. The site looks almost effortless, and is far superior to any similar offerings from government databases. [...]
Amazon joining with Doddle to start railway station collections June 23, 2014 AMAZON customers will soon be able to pick up parcels from railway stations as part of a new deal between the online retail giant and Doddle, the click-and-collect joint venture between Network Rail and Travelex millionaire Lloyd Dorfman. Doddle is currently running a pilot operation at Milton Keynes station, with plans to expand the service [...]
The week in brief – UK agencies win big at the Cannes Lions June 23, 2014 UK agencies and creative shops were well-represented among the winners at last week’s Cannes Lions festival. Adam & Eve/DDB won big for its Harvey Nichols “sorry, I spent it on myself” Christmas work, as did OgilvyOne for its “magic of flying” campaign for British Airways. PHD won two golds for its work with Lego, and [...]
Wood you buy a home like this? Meet London’s new timber homes June 20, 2014 AN ENGLISHMAN’S home is his castle and his castle is almost always made out of bricks and mortar. Many house buyers take these building materials – along with stone and concrete masonry – for granted but it’s actually something of a national obsession. In Southern Germany and Austria, the cold mountain climate is perfect for [...]
Virgin Trains awarded more time on West Coast Main line June 19, 2014 Virgin Trains has been handed a contract to run the West Coast Main Line until at least 2017, less than two years after the firm took the government to court to avoid losing the franchise altogether. The Department for Transport said the extension to Virgin Trains’ franchise would bring better Wi-Fi, £20m in station upgrades [...]
Full steam ahead for Go-Ahead’s railway business as revenues rise June 19, 2014 Transport group Go-Ahead said yesterday that profits from its rail operations were set to beat expectations this year, helped by a drop in energy costs. The FTSE 250 firm, whose joint venture Govia runs the Southern, Southeastern and London Midland franchises, said that the railway business had performed better than expected, though profits were expected [...]