City wealth manager adds to our appeal December 6, 2011 THERE is more good news for City A.M.’s Christmas appeal with the addition of a generous personal gift from Greg Knight (pictured), practice principal at City wealth manager Welbeck Group today. Knight’s significant donation takes our total to an incredible £200,000 after only two weeks of fundraising. Knight, a former London Scottish rugby player who [...]
Banks, businesses and unions give their views on the Autumn Statement November 29, 2011 THE BRITISH BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION The BBA is the leading trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector, speaking for over 200 member banks DIRECTOR GENERAL ANGELA KNIGHT “This Autumn Statement makes a serious addition to the large sums already being lent to the business community by the banks. With the Eurozone crisis putting [...]
CROYDON November 24, 2011 SAFFRON SQUARE Price: From £182,500 for one-bedroom to £640,000 for three-bedroom with balcony Saffron Square will be over 22,000 square feet of new apartment and retail buildings, all set in a new public square, landscaped and with water features. There will be 715 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Contact Knight Frank on 020 7861 5499 [...]
PROPERTY NEWS November 24, 2011 PRIME MARKETS TO LEVEL OFF NEXT YEAR The world’s prime markets are anticipated to level off next year, according to the Knight Frank global forecast. Forty-four per cent of cities are expected to see prices rise, 44 per cent should expect a fall in prices, and 12 per cent will remain unchanged. Asian cities are [...]
I’m dreaming of a blue and green Christmas November 24, 2011 The colour of TV commercial Christmas is snowy-white, accented by the waxy green and red of bows of holly. The Christmas of real life tends to be a slushy brown, accented by car-fumes and accompanied by a complete breakdown of the transport system. While most of us will just slog through it as usual, for [...]
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 [...]