Zac Goldsmith says Heathrow airport expansion plan is undeliverable June 17, 2015 Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith stepped up his campaign against the expansion of Heathrow airport yesterday, and said adding to the existing site is “politically undeliverable”. The environmentalist MP for Richmond Park launched a new website, www.heathrowflightpaths.co.uk, which features on its homepage a map purporting to show the areas of London that will be affected [...]
Greek government balks at central bank’s Grexit warning June 17, 2015 With time running out to avoid a Greek default, a stark warning from Greece’s central bank proved sharply divisive yesterday. On the eve of a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg, the Bank of Greece warned that the country risks a “painful” exit from the euro and even possibly the European Union if Athens [...]
Malmaison and Hotel Du Vin sold to Singaporeans June 17, 2015 Boutique hotel chains Hotel du Vin and Malmaison have been sold by their private equity owners to Singapore-based property group Frasers Hospitality for £363.4m. The hotel duo, which has 29 sites across the UK and is formally known as MHDV Holdings, has been sold by US group KSL Capital Partners, which bought the chain in [...]
Berkeley says interest rates hike could ease London house price rises June 17, 2015 Housebuilding giant Berkeley Group Holdings said yesterday that the prospect of an interest rate hike may help ease the pressure on London’s rising house prices, which have been fuelled by a lack of available homes in the capital. Data from the Office of National Statistic yesterday showed that wages have risen at their fastest [...]
Oxford Street property deals set to reach £1bn by end of this year June 17, 2015 The revamp of the eastern end of Oxford Street and the imminent arrival of Crossrail has sparked a flurry of property deals this year, with investors flocking to get a slice of London’s busiest shopping street. According to CBRE, seven record-breaking transactions totalling £645m have taken place since January, of which five were undertaken off-market. [...]
Deanna Oppenheimer to join Tesco’s nominations committee June 17, 2015 Deanna Oppenheimer, a former high-flying banker who joined the board of Tesco three years ago, has been drafted to join the supermarket’s nominations committee next month. The appointment comes after Oppenheimer, previously the boss of Barclays UK retail and business bank, was made chairman of Tesco’s remuneration committee earlier this year. Deanna [...]
Report says Britain’s state debt amounts to £221,000 per family June 17, 2015 Britain needs an Office for Inter-generational Responsibility to keep a lid on its snowballing debt, reducing the burden on younger generations, a think tank has said. The Centre for Policy Studies has (CPS) today claimed in a new report that the current debt position of the UK is not fully appreciated due to the [...]
Betfair misses despite hitting its goals as traders and analysts go cold on fears that the firm is over-valued June 17, 2015 The City stopped championing Betfair yesterday, despite premier full-year results from the online bookmaker. Shares in the FTSE 250-quoted firm slid throughout the day, with analysts warning that the stock was overvalued due to intense competition in the online gaming market. Betfair closed 3.9 per cent lower at 2,416p, against the FTSE 250 [...]
Cheesegrater bolts to cost Severfield £6m after Leadenhall building loses five June 17, 2015 Steelmaker Severfield said yesterday that the cost of replacing bolts in the Cheesegrater building, after five broke, is likely to hit £6m. There are around 3,000 bolts in the City skyscraper, formally known as the Leadenhall building, and most will be replaced, chief executive Ian Lawson told Morning Wire “These bolts were a specialist [...]
Think tank slams Bank of England stress tests for being far too weak June 17, 2015 A think tank has called for an end to regulatory stress tests on banks, saying they are “sleep- walking” the sector into another financial crisis. The Adam Smith Institute, a free market think tank, said the annual Bank of England tests – which are used to gauge the resilience of banks to volatile financials scenarios [...]