No need for tears: Boohoo confirms offer for Karen Millen and Coast online brands August 6, 2019 Boohoo today confirmed it has made an offer for the online arms of Karen Millen and Coast fashion retailers. The digital fashion giant did not say whether the potential acquisition includes any plans for the firms’ bricks-and-mortar stores. Read more: 1,000 jobs at risk as Boohoo set to acquire struggling Karen Millen Up to 1,000 [...]
London prime property prices make slight recovery August 5, 2019 London’s prime property market made a slight recovery in the second quarter of this year, with prices edging 3.1 per cent higher than the end of 2018. Property prices returned to levels last seen 12 months ago, indicating that the bottom of the market may have been reached. Sales activity picked up 21.4 per cent [...]
Why has the weaker pound failed to turbocharge the economy? August 5, 2019 The sharp fall in the pound in the wake of the 2016 Brexit referendum would help “rebalance the UK economy”, in the words of Mervyn King, former governor of the Bank of England. But since then, the UK has struggled to improve its trade position and has certainly not seen any boost to GDP growth. [...]
City Moves for 5 August – Who’s switching jobs at Willis Towers Watson, Morningstar and Posterscope? August 5, 2019 Today’s City Moves includes Willis Towers Watson, Morningstar and Posterscope. Willis Towers Watson Global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson (WTW) has announced the appointment Matthew Gooden to the role of director and head of sales across its professional indemnity (PI) team. Matthew will be tasked with driving new business leads for the [...]
UK construction sector suffers ‘disastrous’ blow as downturn deepens August 2, 2019 The UK’s construction industry activity sank for the fifth time in six months in July as economists all but ruled out a swift turnaround, a closely-followed measure of sector activity revealed today. Output fell for the third month in a row in July, according to IHS Markit’s UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), leaving the [...]
A truly radical and pragmatic Prime Minister would let parliament get a cat August 2, 2019 Parliament is infested with vermin. According to an internal report seen by the MailOnline, the Westminster war on mice is being lost, despite £111,498 spent on pest control last year. As political conundrums go, this one has an obvious solution: allow cats on the parliamentary estate. Lots of them. Practical, inexpensive, and ruthlessly effective, this [...]
Focus on London Fields: The attractive Hackney suburb buyers don’t want to leave August 2, 2019 Homeowners who bet on London Fields 20 years ago are some of the canniest in the capital. Then, homes in the leafy-for-Hackney neighbourhood were worth 17 per cent more than the London average, according to Hamptons International – but today that has jumped to a huge 52 per cent, translating to £240,000. “Once an unloved [...]
Property of the week: This West End flat gets you a pass to one of Mayfair’s secret gardens August 2, 2019 Where luxury homes are concerned, Mayfair pretty much has it all. A quick scan of current property listings reveals homes complete with built-in pizza ovens, spa treatment rooms and their own chauffeur-driven Bentleys. There is one area where most of its premium pads fall short, though – access to a garden. Not a roof terrace, [...]
Revealed: The outer London borough that locals say has the best commute August 2, 2019 Sweaty summer mornings on the Northern line getting you down? Been apologised to over a tannoy one too many times? Sick of travelling with a lower level of comfort than someone’s handbag? You might want to consider a move to Richmond-Upon-Thames, which despite all of its train and tube stations being in zones three to [...]
Westfield owner suffers income drop as UK retailers shut shops and cut rents August 1, 2019 Retail landlord Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) suffered a drop in UK rental income in the first six months of the year as the property giant’s two London sites were hit by store closures and leasing delays. Like-for-like net rental income was down 3.1 per cent compared to the previous year as tenants – struggling in a challenging [...]