London’s rent continues to edge upward August 31, 2011 STRONG demand and weak supply continues to hike up London rents, with many young people struggling to get a step onto the property ladder. “Rental growth in London and the south has outperformed the rest of the country, though all regions have seen a pickup in rents,” the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said [...]
British mortgage sales decline across the board August 31, 2011 MORTGAGE sales in the year to April sank to their lowest rate since the Financial Services Authority (FSA) began gathering the figures in 2005, it emerged yesterday. “Overall, mortgage sales declined by seven per cent from 2009-10 to 2010-11,” the FSA said. The decline was across the board, with sales of mortgages to first-time buyers, [...]
Stay in touch on the move August 31, 2011 HAVING a Bluetooth headset permanently stuck in your ear is pretty much at the epicentre of uncool. However, if you’re someone who travels a lot, at some point you have to accept that it’s a necessity. Plug-in headphones with a microphone attachment really don’t cut the mustard if you’ve important calls to make, while Bluetooth [...]
Gadgets, technology and luxury on the waves August 31, 2011 PUTTING THE SUPER IN SUPERYACHT Watch out Roman, there’s about to be a new superyacht in town – literally. The Big Fish, a remarkable boat that’s designed equally for adventure on the high seas as it is for sitting in the marinas of Monaco and Mustique, will be appearing on the Thames tomorrow, mooring at [...]
THE NEW SONY RANGE AT A GLANCE August 31, 2011 1. 6” EREADER WITH ENHANCED TOUCHSCREEN E-readers from Sony have always looked the part; the problem is nobody buys them. This version is the lightest reader in the world, again using E-ink paper. It will offer connectivity to public libraries in the US but the decider will be price. 2. SONY TABLET P MULTITOUCH FLIP-SCREEN [...]
Das Kapital: only this time, it’s erotic, says LSE fellow August 31, 2011 HONEY MONEY: THE POWER OF EROTIC CAPITAL BY CATHERINE HAKIM ALLEN LANE, £20 THE best way to create a stir is to publish a book that claims that sex sells, and should do so more. Better yet, embed the claim in an argument for women to think and do more – not less – about [...]
We’re starved of a holiday and it’s driving me up the wall August 31, 2011 SOLVING YOUR WORK-LIFE PROBLEMS Business has been bad for my boyfriend and we’ve had to cancel our holidays all year. I’m at my wits’ end – especially now that everyone’s coming back all rosy and fresh from their August holiday. I’m feeling a lot of resentment. What should I do? Judy, IT, 31 I DON’T [...]
OUT OF OFFICE August 31, 2011 BOOK NOW: EPICUREAN DREAM BRINGS TOGETHER THE VERY BEST For a truly first-rate foodie affair, blot out 9 and 10 September in your diary. Quintessentially Epicure is a luxury food festival at the Hurlingham Club that will see some of the world’s most renowned chefs including Hèlène Darroze, Marcus Wareing, Brett Graham, Giorgio Locatelli and [...]
City sales set to net £250m for Ireland August 30, 2011 A NUMBER of major City property developments are expected to come up for grabs for £250m when a long-awaited sale by Irish investors begins next month. Among the buildings ready to be sold it 107 Cheapside, the upmarket development near St Paul’s Cathedral. The office and retail building, opened three years ago, was developed by [...]
Regus sees a lift in office space market August 30, 2011 OFFICE rentals specialist Regus said yesterday sales and profits were growing as businesses hunted for temporary space amid global economic uncertainty. The company’s January to June pre-tax profit before exceptional items was £13m compared with £9.7m last year. Revenue grew 10 per cent to £565.6m. Regus, which offers ready-to-use offices for rentals as short as [...]