Derwent hikes dividend as election boosts London office sector February 25, 2020 Property investment firm Derwent London hiked its dividend this morning as it said it has a “more confident outlook” for the capital’s office sector following the General Election result. The figures Derwent reported a total return of 6.6 per cent in the year ended 31 December. Net rental income increased 10.5 per cent to £178m, [...]
M&G will continue freeze of its flagship property fund February 25, 2020 M&G is continuing the suspension of its £2.5bn property fund despite making good progress in selling some of the fund’s assets. M&G suspended trading in its flagship property fund in December after investors rushed to withdraw their money. The asset manager blamed the unusually high outflows on Brexit-related political uncertainty, which had made it difficult [...]
Hammerson’s losses widen as retail CVAs dent rents February 25, 2020 Retail landlord Hammerson today warned it will cut its 2020 dividend almost in half as losses mounted in 2019 after another tough year for retailers in which many renegotiated their rents. The figures The real estate giant sank to a £573.8m loss for its latest financial year, up from a £173.3m loss in 2018. While [...]
Only five car battery tech patents filed from the UK in 2019, says BDO February 24, 2020 A record number of patents were filed in 2018/2019 as countries race to develop electric car batteries – but data suggests the UK is falling behind when it comes to the automotive technology. Advisory firm BDO has found 3,400 battery patents were filed in this period, a 57 per cent increase on the year before [...]
Countrywide and LSL confirm ‘ongoing’ merger talks February 24, 2020 Estate agent Countrywide has confirmed discussions over a reported £500m merger with rival LSL are “ongoing” after news of the possible tie-up leaked over the weekend. If Countrywide and LSL do tie the knot, they could create the UK’s biggest estate agent company with numerous brands under one umbrella. Countrywide made a brief announcement today [...]
Estate agents Countrywide and LSL ‘plot £500m merger’ February 23, 2020 Countrywide and LSL Property Services are said to be in talks over a £500m merger that would create the largest estate agency group in the UK. The companies, which are two of Britain’s largest listed estate agents, are in discussions over a potential all-share deal, Sky News reported. The negotiations are said to be “serious”, [...]
Push film review: A challenging look at gentrification around the world February 21, 2020 Property developers, look away now. If you’ve never felt the slightest bit icky when buying a £4 cup of coffee in a formerly working-class neighbourhood, you’re probably not going to like Swedish filmmaker Frederik Gertten’s new documentary, Push. It’s all about gentrification, and whether we have the right to live affordably in a major city [...]
Interest in Milan is going beyond fashion week, as second home market booms in this chic ‘pocket metropolis’ February 21, 2020 This week, the world’s fashionable people descend on Milan as the city hosts the third of the four international fashion weeks. But the global crowd – and UK nationals in particular – are starting to show an interest in Italy’s second city that extends beyond the runway shows. Once known for being dull and industrial [...]
FTSE 250 property firm Daejan to be taken private in £1.3bn deal February 21, 2020 Property company Daejan Holdings saw a surge in share price in Friday morning trading after revealing it would be taken private in a deal with Centremanor. The FTSE 250 firm has agreed a deal worth 8,050p per share and saw its share price soar by 2,830p as a result. The deal values the loss-making property [...]
Hammerson sells seven retail parks to Orion for £400m February 21, 2020 Hammerson has sold seven retail parks to Orion’s European real estate fund for £400m, the largest sale of its kind in the UK for a decade. The parks are dotted around the country in places such as Didcot, Falkirk, Rugby and Telford. The deal, which is expected to raise proceeds of £395m, takes the total [...]