Service companies key to City’s business success December 20, 2009 In light of recent headlines it is hard to believe that London’s ongoing reputation as a world class financial centre depends on anything other than tax and regulation but I assure you it is true. One of the City’s traditional advantages, especially over emerging markets, is the quality of its local services – firms and [...]
NatEx brings in Tube boss December 16, 2009 TROUBLED train and bus operator National Express has taken on a new chief executive to steer its recovery. National Express, which has completed a controversial £360m cash call, said Dean Finch, the chief executive of London Underground contractor Tube Lines, will take up his post early next spring. National Express will hope Finch, who worked [...]
Go-Ahead pessimistic on rail arm December 15, 2009 TRANSPORT group Go-Ahead said yesterday that first-half profit at its rail unit would be 50 per cent down on last year due to reductions in government subsidies, but added that its bus business was performing well. The company, which operates its commuter rail franchises through majority-owned joint venture Govia, expects operating profit at its rail [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 6, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBRITISH GAS AIMS TO BECOME TOP INSURANCE PROVIDERBritish Gas is gearing up to become one of the UK’s top 10 insurance companies and the provider of choice to its 4.5m customers. The Centrica-owned utility has been granted approval by the FSA to underwrite its own household and warranty products and is in [...]
Buy-to-let is back as rents stabilise and low prices attract landlords December 3, 2009 BUY-TO-LET is starting to look like an attractive proposition once again, as lower house prices and a stabilising rental market result in more enticing yields. Data from LSL Property Services – the company that owns Your Move and Reeds Rains estate agencies – shows that annual returns on landlords’ investments have turned positive for the [...]
Norton Rose is ready to expand in Asia on the back of its latest deal November 29, 2009 There is light at the end of the economic night – of that Peter Martyr is fairly certain. But the CEO of NortonRose, the City law firm, wants to make sure we are not facing a false dawn before he gets too excited. As he puts it: “The financial crisis has moved so quickly that [...]
Think inside the Square: why the City is a top spot to buy a home November 26, 2009 IF YOU’RE looking for the ultimate Tube-busting pied a terre, the Square Mile can’t be bettered for history, beauty and – of course – convenience. Other financial centres are not exactly places you’d want to live: tightly packed with skyscrapers and fumes, they have a sterile, uninhabitable feel (just think of mid-town New York or [...]
Both black and white beers will bring out the best in oysters November 26, 2009 London's connection with oysters goes back as far as the city itself. The eating of oysters in London began in Roman times, when the British product was shipped as far as Rome. They continued to be popular in medieval times, when the church imposed lots of “fish days”, during which seafood had to be eaten [...]
CITY VIEWS: WILL THE CAPITAL’S OYSTERISATION AFFECT YOU? November 24, 2009 TOM SUTTON RK HARRISON “Sadly this so-called ‘Oysterisation’ Boris has announced will make no difference to my daily commute, but I do think it is a good policy for London in general. It will make moving around the capital a much easier experience, I would imagine.” NICK WEST CHAUCER “This is a brilliant idea, and [...]
LSE slaps ERT for recklessness November 23, 2009 HYDER CONSULTING has boosted its international business to nearly three-quarters of total revenues, a move that has insulated it from the worst of the recession in the UK, the company said. Hyder, which specialises in design for infrastructure and engineering projects, yesterday said it would meet annual profit targets as it reported first-half results in [...]