Why businesses don’t need “corporate social responsibility” to be ethical June 1, 2015 Would anybody ever be brave enough to oppose “corporate social responsibility”? Certainly, it is a good marketing strapline. And CSR proponents have been very successful at putting up and knocking down straw men in which they claim their opponents believe. For example, it is argued that those who do not believe that companies should have [...]
Eight men convicted over “very substantial” fraud after huge FCA investigation Operation Cotton June 1, 2015 Eight men have been convicted for their role in running a scam fund in which 110 investors lost more than £4.3m between them. The men operated three property investment companies through which investors were pressured into buying land “at a vastly inflated price, on the false promise of a substantial profit”. The salesmen lied [...]
Why over-55s are “trapped” in £820bn worth of outsized homes June 1, 2015 Homeowners over the age of 55 are sitting on £820bn worth of "under-occupied" homes, new research has suggested – a figure which could hit £1.2 trillion by 2020. The research, by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and institutional investor Legal & General (L&G), suggested so-called "last-time buyers" are struggling to maintain large [...]
Royal apartments dubbed the “One Hyde Park of their day” go on sale in London’s Mayfair June 1, 2015 When the Candy Brothers' One Hyde Park development went on sale with the most expensive flats in the world back in 2011, Londoners scoffed at their £65m price tags. But it's not the first time the capital has played host to some of the world's most exclusive apartments: in the early 19th century, the voluminous [...]
Brookfield: Center Parcs’ next big owner May 31, 2015 Family favourite Center Parcs looks set to change owners, with Brookfield interested in snapping it up Adventure holidays are very big business. Family-friendly Center Parcs runs five sites around the UK, and made profits of £147m last year. And its sustained success attracts the very biggest investors. Private equity group Blackstone is selling the group, [...]
Reports reveal services leading the UK recovery – London Report May 31, 2015 THE UK service sector is once again expected to be the star turn as purchasing managers (PMI) reports this week show continued economic growth. Figures due out on Wednesday are expected to show the sector held up well in May, remaining stable at 59.5 (with 50 and above denoting growth) after rising to this level [...]
Fighting forward: The Black Farmer’s Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones talks sausages, political incorrectness and willpower May 31, 2015 Being an entrepreneur is all about timing. You can have the best-laid plans in the world, a huge amount of skill, but it’s really about catching the zeitgeist.” This is Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones’s opening line to me. After a brief pause, he adds, “life is also all about timing”. This is something the founder of [...]
FA Cup final 2015: Arsenal Vs Aston Villa at Wembley is a tale of two cities’ property prices in London and Birmingham May 29, 2015 Arsenal and Aston Villa may be meeting up at Wembley this weekend in the FA Cup final, but there’s more than just mileage and points between the two Premier League clubs. Their home turfs of Birmingham and London show a tale of two cities divided by a gap of more than a quarter of a [...]
Mansion tax, shmansion tax: This £24m Notting Hill home sold just before the General Election May 29, 2015 Property types may have been worried about the looming spectre of a mansion tax during the run-up to the General Election – but that concern clearly didn't stretch to one billionaire buyer, who forked out £24m on a house in Notting Hill. An "unmodernised" end-of-terrace home on Kensington Park Gardens, which comes complete with eight [...]
Forecourt owner Applegreen set for London float May 28, 2015 APPLEGREEN, one of Ireland’s biggest petrol forecourt retailers, announced plans yesterday to make a £230m stock market debut, in what will be the first Irish retail initial public offering (IPO) since the recession. Applegreen is part of Irish fuel group Petrogas, founded by former Esso executive Bob Etchingham in 1994. It has 152 forecourts including [...]