Work has started on a £82m project to return train making to the birthplace of the railways. The workshop of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which opened in 1825 Hitachi Rail Europe eventually plans to deliver more than 860 carriages from its new plant at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham — less than 10 miles from the 1825 route of... Read More
In recent years, it is fair to say that Marks and Spencer has somewhat fallen out of favour with British consumers. While the brand’s food division remains relatively popular, the chain’s clothing line has experienced falling sales and criticism from experts in the fashion industry due to what has been called an “uninspiring”... Read More
Ceremony marks completion of first phase of NOMA development Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will visit Manchester today to officially open One Angel Square, the new home of the Co-operative Group. They will tour the property and meet some of the 3,500 Co-op staff before unveiling a plaque declaring the building... Read More
Barratts, the high street shoe chain went into administration for the third time in four years on Remembrance Day. The appointed administrators, Duff & Phelps are looking at ways to either restructure the business or find a buyer. A buyer did show interest in the shoe chain as an offer of a £5 million investment was received, but... Read More
The government has announced a new scheme whereby people living in certain areas will be offered an incentive to breastfeed their new babies. For mothers living in St Augustine, Birdholme and Boythorpe in Chesterfield and certain parts of Sheffield, they could receive £200 worth of high street vouchers if they breastfeed their new... Read More
The owners of the Royal Exchange are believed to be close to completing the £80 million sale of the City landmark. Last month the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC) appointed CBRE to advise on the sale of the historic building which is home to a number of high-end retail tenants including Tiffany and Montblanc. At the time,... Read More
As business confidence continues to rise amidst a favourable market, industry experts have voiced hopes that this boom in production will lead to further drops in the unemployment rate. However, a new study by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has cast a shadow on these hopes, indicating that this much needed boom in... Read More
Five years after the 2008 global financial crisis was started by the U.S. housing market collapse, the real estate market is on the upswing and is considered a safe haven by investors. With government bonds offering very little in the way of returns and emerging markets appearing fragile at present, investors are turning to residential and... Read More
The UK fuel industry is extremely lucrative, with thousands of motorists filling up their tanks around the country every day. Yet while small independent garages used to be the staple of the sector, they are increasingly being priced out by supermarkets selling fuel at a loss in order to encourage consumers into their stores. This in... Read More
A new market report shows commercial property tenants are benefitting from shortening lease lengths while rental defaults hit an all-time high. The research comes from IPD and covers a 12 month period to June 2013. Challenging market conditions have driven down lease lengths as landlords compete to offer attractive terms to occupiers.... Read More
Britain could suffer a landslide of lost jobs if the country votes to leave Europe, the head of the UK’s biggest car maker has warned. Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, said he would need to “reconsider the strategy” of his Sunderland-based car plant if the public decided it wanted to leave the European Union. And a report published... Read More
Bank branch closures have become something of a theme in the commercial property market of late, with many of the high street’s largest chains choosing to cut back on their property portfolio and focusing instead on improving online and mobile banking services for customers in rural areas. However, this news does not sit well with everyone,... Read More
Bicycle and car parts retailer Halfords has reported a rise in half-year profits, helped by a sharp increase in sales of bikes. Pre-tax profits rose 5.2 per cent to £44.6m for the six months to 27 September, with total sales up 7.7 per cent to £490.6m. Revenues from bike sales increased 14.2 per cent, and Halfords said its car... Read More
It’s that time of year again when children all over the world start writing their lists to Santa in hope of receiving the toys and gifts that they desire. But as we all know, only the ones that have been good all year will get the toys they deserve. But what shops will people be visiting in 2013 and what toys and gifts do children... Read More
Remembrance Day is one of the most important days in the calendar, giving UK citizens the opportunity to keep our country’s veterans and fallen soldiers in mind. Across the country, offices, schools and shops will all fall silent at 11am in order to mark the day with a minute’s silence, while war memorials will blush with colour as local... Read More
The supermarket sector is one of the most competitive in British retailing, with the top four constantly attempting to outdo each other with special offers, price comparisons and consumer ratings. However, while Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s have tended to post relatively successful sales figures of late, the same cannot be said for... Read More
The Russian Federation Council has passed amendments to the Tax Code increasing taxes on commercial real estate across the country, despite protests from business owners that the new system will likely damage small businesses. The amendments passed the State Duma on October 25 and the Federation Council on October 30 and will... Read More
The Royal Brompton hospital is to sell 3.5 acres of prime location land in Chelsea. The three sites in question border King’s Road and Fulham Road and will be sold for residential and commercial development. The land sale has been described as one of the most lucrative in London since the £959 million disposal of the Chelsea... Read More
Although business confidence is soaring and customer demand is growing as a result of the upturn in the economy, many small businesses are still struggling financially thanks to rising business costs. In fact, a new survey has found that business costs are now outstripping the pace of inflation and taking a heavy toll on SMEs... Read More
Britons are now leading their European neighbours when it comes to a spot of culture, a new survey reveals. According to the study, conducted by the Brussels-based Eurobarometer, Britain now takes the top place in nine key cultural measures. For instance, British citizens are more likely to have an awareness of important historical events,... Read More
Marks and Spencer this week reported another fall in non-food sales. Like-for-like sales dropped by 1.5 per cent compared with the same period last year. Food sales increased by 2.5 per cent, leaving pre-tax profits virtually unchanged at £280.6m. M&S said it remained vigilant for the rest of 2013. Marc Bolland, Chief executive... Read More
Facebook has hired world renowned architect Frank Gehry to design the interior of the company’s new Euston offices. The 84 year old has also been appointed to carry out the same task at the social network’s Dublin HQ. Architect Frank Gehry Gehry, who has been described by Vanity Fair as the ‘the most important architect of our... Read More
