Housing market sees a burst of spring activity as valuations rise April 13, 2015 PROPERTY valuations in March have risen by their highest levels since 2007, according to surveyors. Valuations increased 36 per cent on the month and 42 per cent compared to last year, new figures released by estate agent Connells show. First time buyer valuations nearly matched the rest of the market, rising 33 per cent on [...]
Sales up at Safestay’s posh hostels April 13, 2015 SAFESTAY, the Aim-listed property developer of upmarket hostels, posted a jump in full-year sales thanks to growing demand from families, business travellers as well as traditional backpackers for its plush rooms. The four-year old company was founded four years ago with the idea of sprucing up the hostel market and providing a safer and more [...]
City Moves for 14 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 13, 2015 SunLife The financial services firm has appointed Emma Walker to lead its aggregator, digital, and customer experience teams. She joins from MoneySupermarket.com, where she was head of protection and non core insurance. LCH.Clearnet Steve Briscoe has been appointed group head of technology and operations at the clearing house. He joins from RBS, where he was [...]
House prices in London to fall this year for the first time since 2009 as stamp duty hits property prices April 13, 2015 House price growth in the whole of the UK is about to outstrip London for the first time since 2009, a think tank reckons, after stamp duty and the mansion tax combined to scare buyers. Research published by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) today suggests house prices in the capital will actually [...]
First-time buyers make the most of sudden stall in UK house prices April 12, 2015 First-time buyers snapped up 21,000 houses in February, taking advantage of a short-term blip in house prices, according to estate agents Reeds Rains and Your Move. That is an 11 per cent rise in the number of transactions on the month. The average first-time buyer paid £143,767 for their property, down four per cent on [...]
City Moves for 13 April 2015 | Who’s switching jobs April 12, 2015 Cunningham Lindsey The claims management and third party administration services provider has appointed Mark Thompson as global head of major and complex loss, and chief executive of Cunningham Lindsey International. He has over 20 years’ experience managing loss adjusting and insurance forensic accounting. LME The London Metal Exchange has appointed Andrew Dodsworth as head of [...]
From flights to philanthropy: Ebookers founder Dinesh Dhamija talks luck, Romania and why Britain’s entrepreneurs shouldn’t be too bothered about the General Election April 12, 2015 We often hear that the startup landscape of today lacks funding opportunities: the banks still aren’t lending to small businesses, and despite pockets of cash existing, unless you’ve got the inside track, it’s difficult to know how to access them. But Dinesh Dhamija, the multi-millionaire son of an Indian diplomat who, in 1999, founded online [...]
General Electric shares leap on plans to shrink finance arm April 10, 2015 Shares in General Electric rose eight per cent to $27.95 in morning trading in New York, after it announced plans to massively shrink its finance arm. Jeff Immelt, the US giant's chief executive, unveiled plans to reduce the size of GE Capital, moving the company's focus back to its manufacturing roots. The plans included a [...]
London house prices: This nine-bedroom Chelsea mansion just sold for £51m – 300 times the average house price April 10, 2015 A house just outside Chelsea's super-upmarket square The Boltons has sold for just over £51m – that's 300 times the average house price for England and Wales. The Daily Mail reported the nine-bedroom property in Boltons Place had been sold to an offshore company – although the buyer got a deal: it was originally on [...]
Co-op returns to winning ways after dark days April 9, 2015 THE Co-operative Group yesterday announced a return to profit – a reversal of fortunes on the previous year’s losses of £255m. The supermarkets-to-funerals operator that almost collapsed in 2013 reported pre-tax profit of £124m for the year to 3 January, against a loss of £255m a year earlier, on revenue of £9.4bn, helped by disposals. [...]