This is how far house prices have plunged in Chelsea February 6, 2017 Chelsea house prices fell by as much as 13 per cent year-on-year in January as vendors were forced to drop prices due to higher transaction taxes. Data from estate agents Knight Frank shows prices on high-end homes have dropped sharply in London's most sought-after neighbourhoods. In Kensington and Notting Hill, prices have fallen by 12 per [...]
Yo Sushi founder Simon Woodroffe: I want to be the next Richard Branson February 6, 2017 It took a life crisis for Simon Woodroffe to set up restaurant chain Yo Sushi. “I got divorced in the early nineties and was out in the wilderness for a long time. I was down to my last £200,000 tied to my flat and was desperate to do something with my life. That’s when I set [...]
City Moves for 6 February 2017 – who’s switching jobs? February 6, 2017 Today's City Moves cover real estate, legal eagles and tech. Take a look at these movers and shakers: CBRE Real estate services group CBRE has appointed Zoe Bignell to lead and spearhead the expansion of the advisory team within its UK development and residential capital markets business. Zoe is moving to CBRE from Cushman & [...]
Karma Group’s founder and chairman John Spence explains how and why he plans to double the size of his business February 6, 2017 I cleaned toilets in Gatwick Airport for a bit, but that’s the only real job I’ve ever had,” says John Spence, founder and chairman of The Karma Group. A university drop-out, the hotelier and resort-owner originally became a tea boy for a music agency. Before long, he was representing bands like Culture Club, Bananarama and [...]
AccorHotels to bag Travel Keys February 5, 2017 French hotel group AccorHotels, owner of Sofitel and Fairmont hotels, is in talks to bag up luxury travel company Travel Keys. Atlanta-based Travel Keys offers luxury holiday lets in over 100 destinations, including Mexico, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Read more: You won't believe the opulence of these new hotel suites The discussions come just less than [...]
Everything that you need to know about this week’s housing white paper February 5, 2017 The government is set to reveal its long-awaited housing white paper this week after a series of delays. Q: Why do we need a housing white paper? A: There is a mismatch between supply and demand in the housing market which has caused prices to rise to levels that are unaffordable for many. Meanwhile, the [...]
Bank of America Merrill Lynch is looking for new space in the City despite Brexit uncertainty February 5, 2017 Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) has started its search for new office space despite the uncertainty of the City of London's future following the Brexit vote. The US banking giant is currently located near St Paul's Cathedral, but as its lease expires in 2022, the bank has started looking at other buildings that could [...]
Opinion: Is Bournville Village the key the solving the housing crisis? February 4, 2017 There’s nothing new about employers building houses for their employees. George Cadbury wanted to build a place full of green spaces, where industrial workers could thrive, away from city pollution. By 1895, 143 cottages had been built and Bournville Village was born. Another business industrialist with similar philanthropic ideals was the ‘soap king’ Lord Lever [...]
Picture perfect: A photography tour of the Caribbean island of St Lucia February 3, 2017 So if my aperture is f/3.5 and my shutter speed is 1/125th of a second, what should my ISO be if I want to properly expose this image?” “Four…hun…dred?” I ventured timidly. “Nooooo,” Kirk said, as we took a pew in a cathedral in Castries. To the casual passerby, he must have sounded like he [...]
11 risks that keep Snapchat bosses awake at night February 3, 2017 Snapchat's hotly-anticipated IPO, which it filed for last night, has lifted the lid on the inner workings of the rather mysterious company. Not least the fact it believes it could be worth a stonking $25bn… As with any IPO, its Securities and Exchange Commission filing includes a hefty list of risks investors should take into account before buying [...]