Has London’s commercial property market finally recovered from the pandemic? November 15, 2024 High-quality office space in London has “continued and sustained appeal” in London, with property take-up finally exceeding pre-pandemic levels, while retail vacancy rates have similarly dipped to their lowest level since 2019. Cushman & Wakefield and Savills have both reported that the central London property market has begun to stabilise, while British property investment trust [...]
Landsec returns to profit as London property market stabilises November 15, 2024 British property investment trust Land Securities, known as Landsec, swung back into profit and hiked its forecast for the year today after a rebound in occupancy and rental income in London. Landsec told markets this morning that it had returned to the black in the first half of the year, reporting profit after tax of £243m [...]
Cinemas warn tax hikes may cause credits to roll November 15, 2024 The UK cinema industry has warned that higher taxes on employees’ wages announced in the Budget will be the final straw for some venues in what has become a core cultural industry. Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased the amount employers have to pay in NICs by 1.2 per cent, and lowered the wage threshold employers must start paying [...]
Boohoo urges shareholders to reject Mike Ashley’s demands November 14, 2024 Boohoo has urged its shareholders to reject Mike Ashley’s demand to be placed in charge of the struggling fast fashion group, saying that that Ashley is “not suitable” and subject to conflicts of interest due to his role at Frasers. Boohoo and Frasers have been engaged in a public disagreement over how to take the [...]
Mark Kleinman: Thames needs to clear murky waters to restore credibility November 14, 2024 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and is the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly City AM column. This week he tackles resetting Reeves, Thames Water and challenges for challenger banks Reeves’s post-reset reset may need new faces at City regulators How about a post-reset reset? Such has been the turbulence of Labour’s [...]
Elon Musk and Fox News host chosen for Trump cabinet and advisory roles November 13, 2024 Tech billionaire Elon Musk and Fox News host Pete Hegseth have been asked to serve as advisors and in Donald Trump’s cabinet. Musk is set to lead a new US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which will advise the President on how to reform and make savings in the government, after he previously claimed he [...]
Post Office: Jobs and branches could be axed in post-scandal shake up November 13, 2024 The Post Office has announced a significant overhaul, with the closing of 115 branches and hundreds of jobs at risk.
Bosses believe WFH will come to an end – wishful thinking? November 13, 2024 Given the City of London is a major destination for commuters (especially those working in professional services) the new rhythm of hybrid working is perhaps more visible in the Square Mile than elsewhere. Generally speaking, Mondays seem a little thin while Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays feel busier than ever. Fridays remain somewhat subdued. On the [...]
New £500m university science grant can ‘commercialise discoveries’ November 13, 2024 The government has announced it will stump up £500m for 4,700 post-graduate engineering and science university places in a bid to drive long-term economic growth. Science and technology secretary Peter Kyle made the announcement today, with universities and industry set to reap the benefits. The scheme will fund 4,700 new places, equating to around £106,000 [...]
‘Disaster Budget will kill UK farming’, warns chicken king Boparan November 12, 2024 Entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Boparan, whose empire ranges from Bernard Matthews to Carluccio’s, has warned the autumn Budget is a “disaster for business” and will “deliver a final fatal blow to the thousands of small family-owned farms”. Boparan added that the “inheritance tax raid” on farms announced in the Budget on 30 October “risks supply being [...]