Travis Perkins raises full year forecast as revenue soars August 3, 2021 Home improvement firm Travis Perkins raised its 2021 forecast today following a strong first-half, introducing a special dividend of 35 pence per share. Revenue for the business rose to £2.29bn in the six months ending June 2021, up from £1.66bn in the same period last year. The Northampton-based company increased their full year expectations to [...]
Two-thirds of young adults in the UK are counting on inheriting wealth August 2, 2021 More than two thirds (65 per cent) of under-45s in the UK expect to receive an inheritance gift of wealth from family or friends to fund their financial goals and get on the property ladder, according to new research. Millennial and Gen Z adults are increasingly relying on the transition of wealth between generations to [...]
SoftBank-backed Policybazaar files for IPO amid Indian digital economy boom August 2, 2021 Online insurance marketplace Policybazaar is to embark on an initial public offering that could rally $809m if it secures the loftier end of its price range. The SoftBank-backed startup follows a string of other tech-based emerging companies preparing to ride India’s booming digital economy wave. Policybazaar will sell off new shares, according to a public notice published [...]
Countryside creep: London homeowners flee capital at record rate August 2, 2021 London homeowners are fleeing the capital at record levels as city slickers pursue newfound housing needs triggered by the Covid crisis, according to new figures released today. Research by estate agent Hamptons shows 61,830 Londoners purchased homes outside the capital in the first six months of this year, the highest number since they started recording [...]
Wall Street dragged down by sinking Amazon shares July 30, 2021 US stocks fell sharply on Friday morning driven by shares in Amazon sinking after the EU slapped the firm with a record fine. The blue-chip S&P 500 dropped 0.51 per cent, while the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 0.36 per cent and 0.66 per cent respectively. Shares in Amazon sunk as much as 7.1 per [...]
Q&A: How global cities could benefit from green dividends July 30, 2021 One of the biggest challenges facing the real estate sector is how to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and become more sustainable and energy efficient. The sector has one of the highest carbon footprints of any sector. It currently accounts for 30% of global annual GHG emissions and consumes around 40% of the world’s [...]
Rush to beat stamp duty cut off lifts Rightmove profits July 30, 2021 Profits at property search site Rightmove soared in the first half of the year amid surging demand in the UK housing market driven by the stamp holiday. The company posted a pre-tax profit of £114.7m, up from £61.6m from the same period last year. Read more: Property transactions surge to record high in June Prospective [...]
Two-tiered recovery? High Streets struggle as one-in-seven shops sit vacant July 30, 2021 A wave of administrations, closures and downsizing has decimated the UK high street, with new figures out this morning showing one in seven shops are sitting empty – and the problem is getting worse. In the second quarter of 2021, the overall vacancy rate increased to 14.5 per cent across the UK, from 14.1 per [...]
Green and pleasant land? The future of cannabis use in the UK July 29, 2021 Smoking as a social activity suffered a heavy blow around 15 years ago. Between 2006 and 2007, the four parts of the United Kingdom brought in new laws prohibiting smoking in public places, with Scotland being the first to take the leap. I bear a sliver of responsibility: I worked for the House of Commons [...]
Foxtons’ best results in five years prompt real estate giant to reinstate dividend July 29, 2021 Estate agent Foxtons has delivered its best results in five years, boosted by a pandemic-induced resurgence in London’s property market after years of weak results. The sales and lettings agency announced it made £66.9m in revenue in the first half of 2021, a 66 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2020 and [...]