Pub chain JD Wetherspoon said it will open its first motorway pub after being given the green light at services on the M40. The group said the bar and restaurant will open at Extra in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, after a successful submission to the local council. It said its licence grants permission to serve alcohol between 8am... Read More
Primark may have announced plans to embark on a trial online venture with Asos, but the budget fashion retailer has no intention of scaling down its high street presence. This is underlined by the fact that the biggest Primark store in the world recently got even bigger, creating 131 new jobs in the process. The store, in Manchester... Read More
Edinburgh-based life and pensions group Aegon UK is to close six regional offices across the UK as part of a restructuring exercise. Andy Murray returns to action at the Aegon Championships which begins today The affected locations include Glasgow, Birmingham, London and Manchester. In total 160 jobs are at risk. The company said it... Read More
In the category of iconic British brands, Fortnum & Mason is certainly one of the higher profile entries. The department store has been situated at 181 Piccadilly since 1707 and has become a mecca for tourists keen to sample the best of British retail. Now, for the first time in 307 years, the high quality goods retailer has... Read More
Do you work in an office? Do you get regular back pain and headaches from sitting at a desk all day? If so you could be one of the people who cost companies £7 billion a year in sick pay due to their working environment. According to a study conducted by Fellowes, an ergonomics specialist, around half of workers say they have been ill... Read More
When shopping for dairy products, checking whether or not they are “badger friendly” does not tend to be the top on the list of priorities for most people. However, now that the Government has given the go-ahead to a pilot cull of 5,000 badgers, Waitrose, Asda and Marks & Spencer have announced they will be offering shoppers the... Read More
Independent bookshops are seeking the support of the government in their battle with Amazon. They claim the internet giant, which paid only £3.2 million in corporation tax after recording total UK sales of over £4 billion, is destroying the traditional bookshop and that they are fighting for survival on an unlevel playing field. The... Read More
Primark has begun selling clothes online through internet fashion merchant Asos. The fashion retailer said it would sell a limited range of items online for a trial period, in order for the company to gain “insight” into online retailing. The budget high street chain has so far avoided investing in an online presence, focusing... Read More
Several major industry groups have joined in protest against proposed new parking charges in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), including the Real Property Association of Canada, the International Council of Shopping Centres and the Building Owners and Managers Association of the Greater Toronto Area. Michael Turner, the president of the... Read More
Fashion retailers have struggled so far this year, with poor weather patterns and consumer apathy giving new spring/summer lines a lukewarm welcome. Furthermore, a surplus of stock left over from the previous season has caused many to put together sales and promotions in a bid to clear warehouse space which has had a devastating effect upon... Read More
Some of Britain’s largest supermarket chains certainly began 2013 with a bang, with the nation rocked over allegations that horse meat had been found in Tesco and Lidl budget burgers. When these rumours were confirmed, all chains connected to the scandal went into urgent damage repair mode and emptied their shelves of all contaminated... Read More
A recently announced shake-up of the regulations governing the collection of rent arrears will severely limit landlord’s rights to levy distress, according to commercial property agent Prop-Search. Samantha Jones of Prop-Search The shake-up follows the government’s consultation on reforms to the bailiff industry issued in February... Read More
The trend of high-profile commercial developments featuring public spectacles shows no sign of slowing after the developers of 20 Fenchurch Street, dubbed the Walkie Talkie, unveiled details of the latest attraction scheduled to hit the London skyline. 20 Fenchurch Street under construction Following hot on the heels of the Shard’s... Read More
The Midlands is leading the UK in shopping centre development, according to research conducted by property consultants Cushman & Wakefield. Approximately 250,000 square metres of space will be added to the UK market over the next 12-18 months from eight new shopping centres. Three of the retail spots are located in the Midlands and... Read More
A group of major City firms are supporting a new six-week paid internship in commercial property. Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), Mishcon de Reya, Herbert Smith Freehills and Nabarro are among the organisations to offer their support to the scheme. Designed together with not-for-profit organisation Sociable Surveyors, the scheme offers... Read More
Barclays has launched two Property Index Certificates (PICs). The move is a way to offer wealth managers an efficient and a lower-cost way to gain access to the UK commercial property market. The new PICs will mature in 2015 and 2016. Each one will track the Investment Property Databank (IPD) UK commercial property index and will... Read More
A spate of contradictory High Court rulings regarding business rates liability is causing confusion for local authorities, landlords and tenants according to law firm Pinsent Masons. Is this property empty or occupied? The claim comes following the ruling allowing a landlord of an industrial property to claim empty property rates... Read More
With Britain finally basking in some long-awaited sunshine, it appears that the spirits of people across the country have somewhat risen. Yet it is not only consumers celebrating the glorious weather, as retailers have been given something to celebrate with the coming of the sun. After two consecutive months in which the snow and heavy... Read More
Investment funds are returning to the property market at levels not seen since the before the global financial crisis, according to industry data. They are being drawn back by the prospect of rising yields as the economy edges towards recovery and property is, once again, seen as an attractive asset class. During the recession property... Read More
Although the retail industry has suffered severe hardship in recent years, and continues to do so, other areas of industry are now considerably better off than they have been since the start of the recession in 2008. Manufacturing has been significantly boosted by international investment by motoring firms, while companies in the financial... Read More
Football supporters have grown accustomed to (if never fully embraced) the naming rights of their stadiums being sold. Sponsorship of this type brings in millions for the clubs, and businesses are prepared to pay for the right because of the worldwide exposure it brings to their brands. But how would London commuters and visitors react to... Read More
When it was announced that London would be the official host for the 2012 Olympic Games, many doubted – very publicly – that the UK was up to the challenge. After all, Britain was struggling to cope with economic issues, concerns regarding London’s public transport’s capability to withstand an influx of visitors arose and, to add... Read More
