POWER UP! | THREE OF THE BEST LAPTOPS FOR GAMING November 23, 2011 While the Xbox Kinect may have helped move gaming from the bedroom to the living room, the hardcore gamers, the guys (and they’re almost all guys) who spent their teenage years playing Counter Strike, still use PCs. Here is a look at three of the most powerful gaming laptops. Dell Alienware M11x, from £900 You [...]
London residential rents slip for first time since 2009 November 21, 2011 PRIME London residential rents have dropped for the first time since their recessionary low in June 2009 but still sit near to “an all time high”, research from Knight Frank shows. The property agent said rental levels crept back down by 0.1 per cent last month but rose by 0.6 per cent in the three [...]
The captain of industry who says the UK needs to be more like Asia November 20, 2011 FROM the CBI’s offices on the second floor of the Centre Point tower, you get a great view of the construction site that will eventually become the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station. It is fitting that the CBI, which was one of the railway’s biggest supporters, is so close to the action, and a reminder [...]
Rent rises start slowing but still exceed incomes November 17, 2011 RENTS hit a new high in October, according to LSL Property Services’ monthly buy-to-let index, published today, though the rate of increase fell to its lowest since February. The average rent in England and Wales rose by 0.2 per cent in October to £720 per month, the index showed. The increase compares with a jump [...]
Tis the season to get yourself a fabulous ski chalet in one of Europe’s prime locations November 17, 2011 CHAMPEX-LAC, VERBIER Price: CHF1,390,000 A beautiful, expansive, 7-bedroom chalet, nestled in the valley by Verbier. It’s fully renovated, with a ski room, games room and wine cellar, and a brilliant location close to the slopes. Contact: Chesterton Humberts International 020 3040 8210, www.chestertonhumberts.com LES BALCONS DE LA CHAPELLE, MÉRIBEL Price: From €720,000 for a 2-bed [...]
GOING OUT November 16, 2011 November is for locals, with new London bar openings in all corners and for all tastes. The D&D group have just opened Carom in the Meza space on Wardour Street (above Floridita). This Indian bar/restaurant will be serving subcontinental wines and whiskeys never before seen in Great Britain in the large, refurbished space. Azulito, a [...]
Super prime property set to hit records November 15, 2011 LONDON’S super prime residential developments are expected to achieve record values of £10,000 per square foot as the capital continues to attract wealthy international investors, research from Knight Frank shows. Demand for luxury apartments and houses in London’s golden postcodes like Mayfair and Knightsbridge boomed earlier this century, with market values escalating from £1,000 per [...]
Kesa coughs up £50m to dump Comet November 9, 2011 KESA Electricals was yesterday forced to pay a £50m dowry to offload Comet, its struggling British electricals chain. OpCapita, the restructuring specialist that is buying Comet, paid a headline consideration of just £2 for the loss-making chain. But in reality, Kesa – which is also taking on Comet’s €45.9m pension deficit – is paying a [...]
Pipeline design business latest to go as ailing Mouchel continues asset firesale October 24, 2011 MOUCHEL, the struggling infrastructure group, has continued to offload unwanted assets by selling its pipeline design business to Mott MacDonald for up to £3.4m. Mott MacDonald, a management, engineering and development consultancy, will pay an initial £2.55m for Mouchel Energy, a new business set up for the disposal, which has revenues of £4.7m. Working capital [...]
Mouchel sells energy arm to Mott MacDonald October 24, 2011 Mott MacDonald has has bought Mouchel Energy for an initial £2.55m. The deal come after after Mouchel Rail was sold to Australian consultant Sinclair Knight Merz for £3.4m. Mouchel will use money from the sale – which could reap a total of £3.5m in total – to repay some of its debt pile. The unit [...]