Oxford Street regeneration a complex undertaking for City Hall March 5, 2026 The centrepiece of shopping in the capital is set for a major makeover, after London mayor Sadiq Khan set out his long-mooted plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street on Wednesday. The plan will transform the makeup of central London and bring huge opportunities for retailers, but the proposal – particularly its computer-generated elements – leave plenty [...]
Defence boosts Serco amid asylum hotel decline March 5, 2026 Government defence contracts helped Serco deliver a higher profit in 2025 despite a drop in the use of migrant hotels, once a key revenue stream for the London-listed company. Serco, an outsourcing company that covers government work on everything from migrant hotels to waste collection, was boosted by higher state expenditure both in the UK [...]
Estate agency Foxtons says ‘government-driven’ costs harming bottom line March 5, 2026 Leading estate agency Foxtons has hit out at the “strain” caused by national insurance and minimum wage hikes as it contends with a “challenging” market. The firm said “government-driven” pressures are harming its bottom line, as revenue growth was “offset” by increased external costs. The Labour government is facing increasing pressure from business to address [...]
Profit slides as Beazley eyes Bermuda amid Zurich £8bn takeover March 4, 2026 One of the UK’s biggest listed insurance firms suffered a slide in profit as the company prepares to be acquired by Swiss giant Zurich. FTSE 100 insurer Beazley posted pre-tax profit of $1.14bn (£870m) for the year to end December 2025, a fall of around a fifth compared to the previous year amid a softening [...]
It’ll take more than planning reform to get London building again March 4, 2026 London isn’t just facing a housing delivery downturn. It’s facing a double development whammy of falling housing starts combined with a deep decline in the pipeline of new commercial development coming forward, says Melanie Leech Down, down, deeper and down go the lyrics from a track by Status Quo from the early 1970s. A decade [...]
First real estate float on challenger stock market Aquis March 4, 2026 A Yorkshire retail centre will become the first real estate asset to float on Aquis, London’s challenger stock exchange, with the firm to issue more than £25m in shares, City AM can reveal. Scotch Corner Designer Village will launch its IPO in April, becoming the first listing as part of Aram, Aquis’ real estate division. [...]
K2 International Launches New Division: K2 Professional Indemnity Limited March 3, 2026 K2 Group Holdings Limited (K2 International), a division of K2 Insurance Services and a leading specialty insurance and (re)insurance underwriting platform based in London, is pleased to announce the launch of K2 Professional Indemnity Limited (K2 PI). This new division, founded by Richard Smart, will write international (non-US) professional liability business on behalf of a [...]
Mortgage approvals fall to two-year low March 2, 2026 Mortgage approvals slumped to a two-year low in January as buyers remain cautious following months of damaging uncertainty around the November Budget. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases dropped to 60,000 in January, six per cent below the 64,100 six-month average, according to new Bank of England figures. The property market is still suffering from [...]
Reform’s sovereign wealth pitch risks raiding pensions not reviving growth March 2, 2026 Reform’s Richard Tice’s plan to consolidate local council pension schemes fundamentally misunderstands the nature of fiduciary duty, says Tim Focas Behind the rhetoric of Reform’s proposal to consolidate local council pension schemes into a near £500bn sovereign wealth fund lies a major misunderstanding of what these pension assets are and who they exist to serve. [...]
HSBC Innovation Banking CEO: the next phase of UK innovation will be won quietly March 2, 2026 The next phase of UK innovation will be driven by deep tech, life sciences and infrastructure-heavy businesses, says Emily Turner The UK’s innovation economy is now worth $1.3tn. Artificial intelligence sits at the heart of that story, commanding headlines and capital in equal measure. But when we look at where long-term value is being created, [...]