UK VC fund performance spiked this year – and so did competition for deals November 26, 2021 UK venture capital performance increased sharply in the last year, as the value of funds’ investment picks appreciated almost in line with those of the US, according to research by British Business Bank (BBB) published today. VC funds have seen their total value to paid-in (TVPI) multiple – the metric used to track the value [...]
London hotels hope for a cracker Christmas as Covid recovery lags behind rest of country November 25, 2021 London hotels are still lagging behind in their Covid recovery compared to rivals elsewhere – but have reported strong festive bookings. The capital’s occupancy rates were 26 per cent behind pre-pandemic levels last month, as the sector continues to suffer from the slow return of international tourists and business travellers. Hotels are also facing a [...]
MJ Hudson swings to loss despite strong demand for PE and ESG funds November 25, 2021 Financial services consultancy and fund manager MJ Hudson swung to a loss this year despite an uptick in demand for its private equity and ESG products, reveal new figures published this morning. The AIM-listed firm, founded in 2010, registered a £5.3m loss before tax on a statutory basis in the year to June, narrowing from [...]
Soaring inflation in construction could spell disaster for housing in England November 25, 2021 The construction industry has been hit badly by inflation. Material prices are up: in terms of year on year increase, structural steel is at 65 per cent, reinforcement steel is at 62 per cent and plywood is at 56 per cent. Familiar supply chain problems are causing delays, and the cost of both energy and [...]
Why consistency matters November 24, 2021 Despite an eventful decade that has proved unsettling for markets, The Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust has consistently outperformed its benchmark by looking through the noise and sticking to its tried and tested investment process. In this article, Neil Hermon, Portfolio Manager of the Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust, explores moments that have defined the [...]
Collectivino: The ethical wine company making it easy to drink good wine November 24, 2021 Sustainability is the current watch word in wine. As bottle weights and recyclability are increasingly discussed, companies must at least nod in an environmentally friendly direction or risk falling behind competitors. People are increasingly aware of the impact their choices make on the planet but buying ethical wine sustainably can be a tricky thing to [...]
Why it’s time to end the scourge of the service charge November 24, 2021 Ask five people about service charge – that innocent looking ‘discretionary’ or ‘optional’ 12.5 per cent right at the bottom of your bill – and you’ll get five different answers. It’s an archaic, often clandestine system and I’m glad to have scraped it at our restaurant Oklava. Here’s why. Service charge never sat right with [...]
Willingness to ‘punish’ retailers: Supply chain crisis leaves Brits worse off than Americans and Europeans November 24, 2021 As the Office for Budget Responsibility recently reported that the UK’s supply chain bottlenecks have been exacerbated by Brexit, new data shows this morning that Brits report far worse delivery experiences than consumers in France, Germany, and the US. While the crisis is being presented as ‘global’, UK online consumers report disproportionate affects, with nearly two fifths [...]
Lidl aims for 1,100 UK stores by 2025, creating 4,000 new jobs November 24, 2021 Supermarket Lidl has announced plans to have 1,100 stores across the UK by 2025, creating 4,000 new jobs, after opening 55 stores during the first year of the pandemic. It comes as the grocer published its accounts filed with Companies House for the 12 months to the end of February showing revenues jumped 12 per [...]
Brewin Dolphin draws in record fund inflows November 24, 2021 Fund inflows swelled to the highest total on record at wealth manager Brewin Dolphin in the past year, buoyed by a combination of positive net flows and strong investment performance. The London-listed firm drew in a record £4bn of discretionary inflows in the year to the end of September, compared to £2.8bn in the previous [...]