Former Hipgnosis duo set to float trust on London Stock Exchange February 24, 2025 Achilles Investment Company is set to start trading on the London Stock Exchange tomorrow after raising £54m to make an activist push against struggling investment trusts. The trust, run by City veterans Christopher Mills and Robert Naylor at Harwood Capital, would be the first investment trust float on UK markets since 2023. Naylor and Mills [...]
St James’s Place fund in the doghouse over underperformance February 21, 2025 St James’s Place’s Global Quality Fund has retained its spot as the largest fund to be consistently underperforming after falling 26 per cent below its benchmark over the last three years. The report from Bestinvest, which identified the funds in the ‘doghouse’ due to persistent underperformance, found 137 funds struggling to match their peers. Despite the [...]
Ex-Lloyds executive wants to ‘fintech’ mortgages February 21, 2025 A former Lloyds executive wants to accelerate the mortgage process by bringing AI into the mix. Stuart Cheetham worked at Lloyds bank for over a decade, spanning senior roles across Asia. He was chief executive in Hong Kong and managing director in Japan. However, since departing the Big Four bank, Cheetham founded his own company [...]
Labour must remember investors when reforming leasehold February 21, 2025 Given that many properties are directly or indirectly owned by pension funds, getting leasehold reform wrong risks destabilising the property markets, transferring value to foreign investors and undermining the UK’s attractiveness, says Natalie Chambers The government’s rhetoric on harnessing institutional capital as a driver for economic growth is welcome. In the coming months, the government [...]
Spudway: Subway expands into jacket potatoes in bid to boost UK sales February 19, 2025 Subway has revamped its menu in the latest change to its marketing strategy as it looks to boost UK sales. The fast-food giant will trial a customisable jacket potato in 170 UK stores, citing the humble potato’s social media “renaissance” and “fame on social media”. Deniz Safa, Director of Innovation & Culinary at Subway EMEA, said [...]
London house prices stagnant in 2024 February 19, 2025 This meant the average property in the capital remained stuck at £549,000. Factoring in inflation, London properties lost 2.7 per cent of their value.
New towns: Why Starmer needs to avoid being a cowboy builder… February 18, 2025 Promises can be a tricky thing in politics. Just look at the flack Nick Clegg received for pledging to scrap tuition fees, and then, well, not. Similarly, putting Partygate aside, I suspect Boris Johnson isn’t exactly fondly remembered as PM by those voters living in areas promised one of his 40 new hospitals. While some [...]
Homeowners rush to departures before third Heathrow runway takes off February 17, 2025 The housing market around the planned area for Heathrow’s third runway has seen a surge of activity in the last few weeks as homeowners look to avoid the noise, pollution and lower house values that the major infrastructure project would usher in. On January 29, the government spoke to an audience of business chiefs at [...]
Value of UK housing stock hits £9 trillion for the first time February 17, 2025 The total value of all homes across the UK has passed £9 trillion for the first time, according to new research by property firm Savills. After a brief slump in 2023, the UK’s housing stock grew by £346bn last year – meaning it is now more than 3.5 times the annual GDP of the UK. [...]
Shein: Discounted valuation would give IPO a ‘better chance of going ahead’ February 17, 2025 Fast-fashion giant Shein is under investor pressure to slash its valuation by two thirds from its all time high should it go ahead with its long-awaited float on the London Stock Exchange later this year, according to a report. Shen was valued at $66bn (£52bn) in a funding round in 2023 and as high as [...]