London Report: Unemployment near threshold for UK rate hike January 19, 2014 UNEMPLOYMENT figures due out this week look set to show further signs of the UK’s recovery, with November’s rate expected to have fallen. Alan Clarke, of ScotiaBank said: “The highlight of the UK economic calendar is going to be the labour report, where we see a very good chance that the unemployment rate falls by [...]
The Japanese taste for British and US classics January 13, 2014 WE LOVE a bit of sushi in the City, sipping sake at the top of the Heron Tower or sampling the latest sashimi in Roka – but it looks like our friends in Japan have reciprocated and developed a taste for all things western, snapping up British and American brands faster than you can say “sayonara [...]
Costain picks Liberum as its new joint broker November 18, 2013 ENGINEERING group Costain has hired Liberum Capital as its joint corporate broker alongside Investec, in the latest client win for Simon Stillwell’s investment bank. FTSE All Share-listed Costain, which tried to merge with May Gurney this year but was blocked by a higher bid from Kier, named Liberum’s Steve Pearce as its new joint broker [...]
Entrepreneurship week comes to London: Four events worth watching November 17, 2013 IT’S GLOBAL Entrepreneurship Week, and this year’s theme (Take a Step Forward) is more timely than usual. Despite record numbers of new startups, UK entrepreneurs still find it more difficult to scale or reach the next stage of their development than their peers in the US. Whatever the reasons (and they are much debated), this [...]
Workspace grabs slice of London tech market with Clerkenwell buy November 12, 2013 SMALL business landlord Workspace has snapped up an office block near Farringdon for £18.1m as it looks to tap into booming demand for space in the area from technology firms. Chief executive Jamie Hopkins said yesterday that the acquisition of Verulam House on Gray’s Inn Road, whose tenants include Tesco’s Blinkbox, marked its first major [...]
Workspace sells biscuit factory October 24, 2013 Office space provider Workspace has sold a large chunk of its 11 acre Tower Bridge Business Complex – also known as the biscuit factory – to Grosvenor for £51m. The Aim-listed group said yesterday that Grosvenor will develop the seven acres it has bought into a residential scheme with 800 new homes. As part of [...]
Liberum wins another broking mandate after employee raid October 9, 2013 LIBERUM, the investment bank and research house, has won its second new broking client in the wake of its hiring of 14 people from Espirito Santo in July. Workspace, the office rental group focused on new and growing companies, said yesterday it had appointed Liberum as its broker alongside Investec, the South African bank. The [...]
Innovation Diary: Startup collaboration isn’t new – but it’s increasingly intentional September 29, 2013 ROYAL Mail’s privatisation is certainly an expression of confidence in the company, with investment set to speed up the pace of restructuring away from its declining letters business. But the future may not be so rosy. Writing in City A.M., the futurist Ian Pearson suggested that Royal Mail’s profitable package business could itself be challenged [...]
How the geography of global innovation is rapidly changing September 12, 2013 Liam Ward-Proud investigates the cities that are attempting to foster new startup cultures WIKIPEDIA founder Jimmy Wales has called on Britain to extend its entrepreneurship visa scheme to make London more enticing to startups. He joked that “nobody wants to live in San Jose, California – it’s incredibly boring”. But the geography of global innovation [...]
From prison cells to helter-skelters September 11, 2013 Office design has come a long way since the days of windowless boxes THERE’S a point, around half way through university, when all the conscientious students put down their pints of lager, cease their earnest conversations about Middle-Eastern geo-politics and begin applying for jobs. My housemate was one of those students. Concerned at my relative [...]