Real estate veteran announced as new chair of London-focused Workspace February 28, 2023 An industry veteran and former Schroders real estate chief has been unveiled as the chair of flexible office company Workspace. Stephen Hubbard will step down from his position in July after three years in post, with Duncan Owen taking the helm of the flexible working space group. Hubbard joined the real estate investment trust’s board [...]
Ocado blames ‘macro economic and political headwinds’ for a drop in sales and widening losses of £500m February 28, 2023 Online grocer Ocado has reported a 3.8 per cent fall in sales, claiming its business model has been “tested” in 2022. In its results for the full year year, Ocado posted retail revenues of £2.20bn, down from £2.28bn the previous year. The firm also posted a harrowing loss before tax of £501m for 2022 up [...]
Brexit deal done: Rishi Sunak signs breakthrough agreement with EU over Northern Ireland protocol February 27, 2023 Rishi Sunak has signed a breakthrough deal with the European Union over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland and will now seek to win the backing of unionists and Tory Eurosceptics. The Prime Minister and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen finalised the long-awaited agreement to ease the trading issues created by the Northern Ireland [...]
Five New Ways We’re Doing Hybrid Work February 27, 2023 We’ve come a long way since March 2020. Most workers will easily recall the day they were told to pack up their laptops and work from home for the foreseeable future. The Covid-19 pandemic revealed many companies were not prepared for remote working, and led to a whirlwind of uncertainty. The workforce adapted quickly. In [...]
HSBC doubles down on homeworking as Lloyd’s of London pushes for return to City HQ February 26, 2023 HSBC’s and Lloyd’s rival plans for the futures of their London headquarters have revealed a growing split in attitudes towards the long-term prospects of working from home. Lloyd’s of London is reportedly in talks to extend the lease on its iconic City headquarters as it works to bring staff back into the office in resisting [...]
Sir Bernard Ingham press secretary to Margaret Thatcher dies age 90 February 24, 2023 Sir Bernard Ingham, the long-standing press secretary to Margaret Thatcher, has died after a short illness, his family said. The former reporter, who was 90, died with his family around him on Friday lunchtime, a statement said. His family described him as a “journalist to his bones” and he continued to file a column for [...]
Football regulator WILL have more powers to investigate club owners but WON’T block takeovers linked to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, says sport minister Stuart Andrew February 23, 2023 The incoming independent football regulator will be given wider powers to investigate prospective owners – but will not block takeovers by Saudi Arabia or Qatar. A regulator will have more scope to look into the backgrounds of would-be buyers of English teams, similar to the checks in place in financial services. “We are looking at [...]
Law firms help drive record demand for London office space February 23, 2023 Law firms, accounting firms and consultancies acquired a record 2.5m sq ft of central London office space in 2022, following a boom in the professional services sector’s revenues. London’s top services firms took up 50 per cent more office space last year than in 2021, as the sector capitalised on an “unprecedented” surge in demand, [...]
Truss warns Sunak over Northern Ireland Protocol deal amid ‘resignation-watch’ denials February 23, 2023 Liz Truss has reportedly warned Rishi Sunak her support for any potential Northern Ireland Protocol agreement depends on retaining changes made under her foreign office posting. Former PM Truss, whose disastrous ‘mini-budget’ sent financial markets into a tailspin last year, has become the second ex-Tory leader to speak out ahead of a much anticipated deal. [...]
Virgin Media O2 reveals plans to open new London HQ as it dials in earnings of £10.36bn February 23, 2023 Virgin Media 02 has said it is “confident” it will deliver its 2023 profit guidance, as the group posts strong revenues in its first few months of merging. For the year ending 2022, the broadband giant saw revenues of £10.36bn up slightly from the pro forma figure of £10.35bn the previous year. The group which [...]