Student housing provider Unite names new chief executive October 5, 2023 Student housing provider Unite has announced that chief executive Richard Smith is stepping down after seven years leading the business. Smith, 49, will be replaced by Joe Lister, who has been chief financial officer since 2008. He will take the helm on 1 January. Smith’s tenure saw the company expand significantly, with 157 properties now [...]
London rents hit ‘record high’ of over £2,000 per month as shrinking supply hits tenants hard October 5, 2023 The cost of renting in London is now 12.1 per cent higher than it was last year, as tenants dish out “record” payments of £2,627 pcm to live in the capital, a new report from Rightmove shows. Over the last year, lodgers in the capital have seen their rents surge to fresh highs because the [...]
Prime London Housing market holding up against backdrop of high interest rates October 4, 2023 The prime property market in London appears to be holding up relatively strongly in the face of rising interest rates, according to an index. House prices in prime central London in the third quarter of 2023 were typically 1.2 per cent lower than a year earlier, estate agent Savills reported. Property values across London’s prime property market generally were down by 2.1 per cent annually in the third quarter of this year. [...]
Superdry sells South Asian IP to Indian retail giant for £40m October 4, 2023 Struggling fashion retailer Superdry has signed a joint venture with Reliance Brands Holding UK Ltd (RBUK) for the sale of its intellectual property in South Asia, in its latest bid to boost funds. As part of the £40m deal, RBUK and Superdry will own 76 per cent and 24 per cent of the joint venture [...]
China: Evergrande shares soar after property developer’s stocks resume trading October 3, 2023 Shares of debt-laden property developer China Evergrande Group soared on Tuesday after they resumed trading in Hong Kong following a suspension last week. By midday, Evergrande’s shares were up nearly 16% after jumping more than 60% early in the session. Evergrande is the world’s most heavily indebted property developer and is at the centre of [...]
War with Taiwan would ‘collapse the Chinese economy’, Cleverly tells Tory conference October 2, 2023 China’s economy would collapse if it went to war with Taiwan, James Cleverly said, as he defended his policy of “clear eyed” engagement with Beijing. The Foreign Secretary said concerns about the strength of China’s economy were already forcing the ruling Communist Party to change course. Cleverly became the first UK Foreign Secretary to visit [...]
China: Manufacturing activity returns to expansion amid hopes economy is stabilising September 30, 2023 China's factory activity expanded for the first time in six months in September, an official survey showed on Saturday, adding to a run of indicators suggesting the world's second-largest economy has begun to bottom out.
House sales fall by 16 per cent amid increase in mortgage rates – as industry looks at shoots of recovery September 29, 2023 The number of house sales fell by 16 per cent in August compared with the same month a year earlier, according to provisional HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) figures. An estimated 87,010 home sales took place across the UK last month, which was 16 per cent lower than in August 2022 but 1% higher than [...]
Mortgage and remortgage approvals fall as higher interest rates hits property market September 29, 2023 New mortgage approvals fell to the lowest level in six months while approvals for remortgaging plummeted as rising interest rates dented the mortgage market.
Insurance is the city’s backbone – and it’s got people at its heart September 28, 2023 It’s been a dynamic market over the past year,” says Jack Snowden head of the global reinsurance clients team in London for Aon’s reinsurance solutions, with the look of a man who has used words other than ‘dynamic’ to describe itto friends. Over the past year or more, the reinsurance industry has embarked on an [...]