Labour’s tax policies are hitting the companies they need to build homes May 23, 2025 Construction plant-hire companies are fundamental to delivering the government’s pledge to build 1.5m homes, but they tend to be family businesses – the very kind that are being worst hit by changes to NICs and Business Property Relief, says Steven Mulholland The latest Homes England figures might look promising – more homes completed, more sites started, and [...]
Hisense: Sales surge by over £70m but brand issues warning May 22, 2025 Sales at the UK arm of Hisense, the Chinese appliances and electronics manufacturer, jumped by more than £70m last year, it has been revealed. The Leeds-headquartered division has reported a turnover of £373.8m for 2024, a sharp rise from the £300.4m it posted for 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House also show that Hisense’s pre-tax [...]
Mid-week office working back to pre-pandemic levels, says British Land May 22, 2025 Property giant British Land has said that mid-week occupancy in central London offices has returned to its pre-pandemic level, more than five years after the start of the work-from-home mandate. It said that lack of high-quality office space has contributed to record rents in the sector. “Return to the office is in full swing… the [...]
Vodafone swings to loss after €4.5bn impairment blow May 20, 2025 Vodafone has swung to a loss after recording a €4.5bn (£3.8bn) impairment hit amid the continued poor performance of its German business. The telecoms giant posted a pre-tax loss of €1.4bn for the year to end March, compared to a profit of €1.6bn the previous year. Vodafone said the impairment charges “reflect management’s latest assessment [...]
Is this the end of the private landlord? May 20, 2025 There has been a sharp divergence in the attitudes of private and professional landlords as new regulations continue to upend the sector, according to new data. While private landlords continue to become more negative – and threaten to leave the sector in droves – professional landlords are, dare we say, genuinely optimistic about the prospects [...]
KKR lashes out against PHP in Assura bidding war May 19, 2025 Private equity giant KKR has lashed out against rival PHP in its bidding war for GP landlord Assura, arguing that a takeover by its competitor would risk scrutiny from the regulator. In a stock exchange notice this morning, KKR argued that its offer for Assura was “superior” as opposed to the PHP offer which comes [...]
Greene King: Pub giant calls for ‘urgent help’ after losing £150m May 19, 2025 Pub giant Greene King has issued an urgent plea to the government for help after slumping to a near-£150m loss in 2024. The Suffolk-headquartered group fell to a pre-tax loss of £147.1m during its latest financial year, having posted a profit of £45.2m in 2023. Greene King, which operates around 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, [...]
Government urged to prioritise high streets or risk losing seats to Reform May 19, 2025 A retail lobby group has warned that job losses in the sector could overwhelmingly affect areas at risk of turning from Labour to Reform. The Retail Jobs Alliance (RJA), made up big names like ASDA, Primark, Sainsbury’s and Tesco, found that retail is a major driver of local employment in areas where Reform made significant [...]
UK house prices continue to rise following stamp duty deadline May 19, 2025 Demand for houses has dipped following the end of first-time buyer relief on stamp duty, despite a cut in interest rates. House prices grew by 0.6 per cent in April, according to Rightmove, the lowest at this time of year since 2016. The number of new properties coming onto the market for sale is 14 [...]
Boss of King Charles property portfolio in talks with old firm for slice of HS2 Euston May 16, 2025 King Charles’ property company is in talks to buy up part of HS2’s Euston site from its floundering owner, according to reports. The Crown Estate, led by Dan Labbad, is in talks with the Australian developer Lendlease for a 50 per cent stake in six major UK projects, an announcement on the Australian Stock Exchange [...]