The Book People Limited, advised by Savills, has acquired office space at Salisbury House, Weyside Park in Godalming, Surrey from a private landlord. The online bookseller has agreed to a new 10-year lease and will occupy the entire 12,748 sq ft (1,184 sq m) building, paying an annual rent of £187,224. Alys Holland, associate in the South East office agency team at Savills, comments: “Salisbury House offers high quality office accommodation in a strong Thames Valley location. This is the ideal place for The Book Company as they look to improve the efficiency of the business by taking more conventional space and we are pleased to have secured this deal on their behalf.” The private landlord was represented by Kingstons. Source link

Ovo Energy will offer its 650,000 customers paper bills and statements as part of its commitment to protect consumer choice about how their supplier communicates with them. The supplier has become the first energy provider in the UK to be awarded the ‘best practice’ mark of distinction from the Keep Me Posted campaign – which fights for the consumers right to choose. Ovo Energy customer service director Justin Haines said: “At Ovo we pride ourselves in giving customers the choice in how they interact with us… We’re delighted to be the first energy supplier recognised by the Keep Me Posted campaign.” Keep Me Posted Campaign chair Judith Donovan said: “Ovo clearly values its customers’ right to manage their accounts however they see fit. “They offer online account management but also guarantee customers paper bills if they want or need them – this is the very essence of consumer choice and we believe this should be standard across all service providers.” In November 2015 Bristol Water was recognised by the campaign, when it made the same commitment, joining Welsh Water, Yorkshire Water and Wessex Water to provide paper bills and statements to customers. Source link

The Royal Mail Group Limited has been fined £50,000 after a worker’s foot was run over by a reach truck in a bundling warehouse. Medway Magistrates Court heard how an incident happened at the Royal Mail Group Limited (RMG) bundling centre in Rochester where a worker stepped out into an aisle and another worker, who was driving a reach truck, ran over his foot causing broken bones and bruising. The injured worked was not wearing safety boots with steal toe caps when the incident happened. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred on 7 March 2014 found that workplace transport was not organised to ensure pedestrians and vehicles can circulate safely as they both operated in the same areas without segregation. Better organisation of the workplace transport within the warehouse would have prevented this incident from happening. Royal Mail Group Limited, of Victoria Embankment, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 17(1) of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,406. For further information on workplace transport safety visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg199.pdf Notes to Editors: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/  HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk Journalists should approach HSE press office with any queries on regional press releases. Source link

A new report from Connells Survey & Valuation has found that expanding growth in the property sector during March was fuelled by a rush of first time buyers breaking in to the property market. During March, valuations jumped by 8% year-on-year and by 21% when compared to the previous month, mainly due to strong FTB activity. The report also confirmed that FTB valuations increased by 41% compared to the previous month and 15% compared to March 2015. John Bagshaw, corporate services director of Connells Survey & Valuation, commented: “March’s solid topline figure demonstrates the hardiness of the housing market, largely driven by first-time buyer activity. Increased determination on the part of this once-cautious sector, alongside a brightened economic outlook compared to a few years ago, have certainly been key drivers in activity.” Remortgagors and home movers have also seen a significant boost in valuation activity. Total remortgaging volumes represented an increase of a quarter (25%) on February 2016, as well as reflecting a jump of a third (33%) on March 2015. Home mover valuation activity grew by 4% in March on a year-on-year basis and leapt by 27% compared to the previous month. However Stamp Duty changes have impacted the buy-to-let market, with valuation activity dropping 27% between February and March 2016, as well as dipping by 36% compared to the same month a year ago. John Bagshaw concluded: “The buy-to-let market has endured a turbulent month but we expect this to be a short-term tumble, with investors adopting the standard-kneejerk reaction to legislative changes by proceeding cautiously. This is particularly true for a tax increase like the Stamp Duty shake-up. Many aspiring buy-to-let landlords may have realised that if they initiated a buy-to-let mortgage application in March, they would be unable to get it processed in time to beat the 1st April deadline. Instead, they may be taking their time in order to factor the changes into their financial planning. More importantly, the fundamentals of buy-to-let remain unaffected by the new 2% levy. Home values continue to increase while high LTV lending remains accessible, meaning investors can more easily take advantage of the capital returns on offer from the property market. Equally, demand for rental property remains strong and potential yields remain appealingly high. As the year progresses, these benefits will be the silver lining that outshines the short-term cloud in the buy-to-let sector that the Stamp Duty hike has created.” Source link

©Reuters The energy groups Halliburton and Baker Hughes are preparing to abandon their planned $28bn tie-up after antitrust authorities moved to block it, the latest megadeal to collapse this year as a result of government intervention. People familiar with the matter said the companies were ready to call off the proposed transaction, which would have brought together the world’s second and third-largest oil services companies. More On this topic IN Oil & Gas The termination of Halliburton’s takeover of Texan rival Baker Hughes would come just weeks after the US government sued to prevent what was set to be one of the largest deals in the energy sector in recent years. Authorities complained the combination would reduce competition to an unacceptable degree, distort energy markets and ultimately hurt consumers. Regulators in Europe also signalled opposition to the deal. Halliburton, which has a market capitalisation of $35bn, and Baker Hughes, valued at $21bn, had planned to fight back against the lawsuit. Their decision not to do so will require Halliburton to pay Baker Hughes a $3.5bn termination fee, a provision agreed during takeover talks. The mooted collapse is the latest sign that challenges from the Obama administration, whether on taxation or competition grounds, are scotching large and complex mergers and acquisitions. It comes less than four weeks after the White House’s push to deter “tax inversion” deals prompted the drugmaker Pfizer to scrap its planned $160bn bid for Ireland-based Allergan. Even before the latest planned cancellation, the total value of abandoned transactions this year was at its highest since 2007 — a stark turnround from 2015, when global dealmaking reached an all-time high. The cash and shares tie-up of Halliburton and Baker Hughes would have created a newly-enlarged rival to Schlumberger, the biggest operator in the oil services industry. Such companies help oil and gas operators drill wells and supply them with equipment and tools. Backers of Halliburton’s planned acquisition said it would bolster the group’s capability in areas where it was relatively weak, such as production chemicals and pumps used to improve oil recovery from wells. They also said it would help Halliburton compete in overseas markets. Halliburton had planned to cut costs aggressively to help justify a chunky takeover premium. The cancellation of the deal would be a blow to the companies, which had previously said they were confident of securing regulatory clearance. It would also be the latest downbeat news for Wall Street investment bankers. A deals drought at the start of the year hurt their fee income. News that the two companies were preparing to terminate the transaction was reported earlier by Bloomberg. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link

17 June 2016 | Jamie Harris Service provider Mount Charles has reported revenues of £28.1 million in 2015 – an increase of £2.6 million on the previous year. Mount Charles attributed £7.3 million of contract wins as a key factor in its growth. In November 2015, the Northern Ireland firm was awarded a £500,000 cleaning contract at Belfast International Airport. Its first contract win in England came in 2012 at Exeter Airport, where it provides catering services as part of a £10 million deal. Source link

North Yorkshire County Council has appointed 13 contractors to its civil engineering framework, worth up to £400m over four years. Those picked include CN100 contractors Balfour Beatty and Clugston as well as regional players and SMEs. It has appointed nine firms to its carriageway planning and surfacing framework, including Colas and Galliford Try, worth up to £200m for two years, with the option to extend for another two years. The council has also confirmed seven painting contractors for a £7m framework over four years. Its civil engineering framework has six lots, accounting for geographical coverage and financial scope, while the carriageway deal has four lots. It is understood contractors will be subject to KPIs including commitments to apprenticeships, and other authorities will be encouraged to use the framework. Winners: CECF2016:  Applebridge Construction  Balvac Ltd (Balfour Beatty) Balfour Beatty C R Reynolds  Clugston Construction  Coffey Construction  Esh Construction  Farrans Construction Trading as a division of Northstone (NI) Limited Fox (Owmby)  Fox Building & Engineering Hall Construction Services  Hinko Construction PBS Construction (North East)  CPSCF2016:  C R Reynolds  Cemex UK Operations Colas  Galliford Try Infrastructure Hanson Quarry Products Europe Ltd T/A Hanson Asphalt & Contracting Rainton Construction  Ringway Infrastructure Services  Tarmac Trading  Thomas Bow  PCF2016: Alfred Bagnall & Sons C R Reynolds Eric Wright Civil Engineering  Industrial Coating Services  Pyeroy Ltd (Wood Group) RLP Painting Contractors Taziker Industrial  Source link

Browser does not support script. Contact us The 2015 Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship has launched and is inviting applications from schools of architecture around the world. A £6,000 grant will be awarded to one student by a panel of judges which includes Lord Foster and the President of the RIBA Stephen Hodder.   Lord Foster said: ‘As a student I won a prize that allowed me to spend a summer travelling through Europe and to study first hand buildings and cities that I knew only from the pages of books. It was a revelation – liberating and exhilarating in so many ways. Today it is my privilege to fund the RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship, which I hope will have a lasting legacy – offering the chance for discovery and the inspiration for exciting new work – for generations to come.’ RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: ‘I urge our RIBA student members to take full advantage of this wonderful opportunity provided by Lord Foster. The scholarship has been a vehicle for some remarkable pieces of work and I’m looking forward to reviewing the submissions.’ The deadline for submissions is Friday 24 April 2015. Further details and an application form can be downloaded from the RIBA website www.architecture.com/fosterscholarship. ENDS Notes to editors Application enquiries: RIBA Education +44 (0)20 7307 3678 RIBA Press enquiries: Howard Crosskey, RIBA +44 (0)20 7307 3761 First established in 2006, the scholarship is now in its eighth year and is intended to fund international research on a topic related to the survival of our towns and cities, in a location of the student’s choice. Past RIBA Norman Foster Scholars have travelled through the Americas, Europe, Africa, South East Asia, the Middle and the Far East, and Russia. Proposals for research might include: learning from the past to inform the future; the future of society; the density of settlements; sustainability; the use of resources; the quality of urban life; and transport. Past recipients of the RIBA Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship: 2014: ‘Buffer Landscapes 2060’ by Joe Paxton of the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College, London, which investigated some of the measures taken to mitigate the effects of climate change, such as reservoirs, artificial lakes and rivers – and the opportunities that these landscapes offer for habitation, as well as flood protection. 2013: ‘Charles Booth Going Abroad’ by Sigita Burbulyte of Bath School of Architecture, which takes the poverty maps of Victorian social reformer Charles Booth as the starting point for an exploration of slum communities across four continents 2012: ‘Material Economies: recycling practices in informal settlements along African longitude 30ºE’ by Thomas Aquilina, Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, part of the University of Edinburgh, UK 2011: ‘Sanitation’ by Sahil Deshpande, Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai, India 2010: ‘In Search of Cold Spaces – a study of northern public space’ by Andrew Mackintosh, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK 2009: ‘Ancestral Cities, Ancestral Sustainability’ by Amanda Rivera, University de Bio Bio, Chile 2008: ‘The Role of Public Transport in Shaping Sustainable Humane Habitats: Case Studies Across Three Continents’ by Faizan Jawed Siddiqi, Rizvi College of Architecture, Mumbai, India 2007: ‘Emerging East: Exploring and Experiencing the Asian Communist City’ by Ben Masterton-Smith, UCL, London, UK       Posted on Friday 9th January 2015 Source link

BHP Billiton will set out plans to boost earnings growth this week to woo disgruntled investors and try to dispel the gloom that a fall in commodity prices has cast over the mining industry. Putting forward a strategy to raise earnings at the world’s largest mining group by market capitalisation has become a priority for Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive, as he seeks to move BHP beyond last year’s defensive measures to withstand the commodities downturn. More On this topic IN Mining Investors dumped shares in miners last year as prices for many commodities fell to some of their lowest levels in a decade. BHP, a big oil and gas producer as well as a miner, was also under pressure as crude prices tumbled alongside iron ore and copper. While the resources sector has partially rebounded this year, most in the sector expect continued volatility in prices and doubts have been expressed about a sustained recovery. In a presentation to investors on Tuesday Mr Mackenzie is expected to say how BHP intends to increase profits in spite of the downturn. “Bottom-line growth is the focus,” said a person familiar with the miner. “There is more that we can do than people appreciate to create value for the business.” BHP’s market capitalisation is down to $70bn, less than one-third of its level at the peak of the commodities boom. Mr Mackenzie, who took over as chief executive three years ago as commodity prices were starting to slide, has so far focused on a strategy of productivity gains through simplifying BHP’s business. A centrepiece was the spin-off last year of a cluster of assets into a separate company, South32. BHP has also boosted productivity by squeezing more out of the mines and infrastructure on which it spent billions of dollars during the boom years, helping it to cut unit costs 40 per cent to levels last seen a decade ago. However, miners including BHP disappointed shareholders last year by slashing or abandoning dividends as balance sheets came under strain from lower commodity prices, with a series of downgrades in the sector from credit rating agencies. BHP, which for years sustained a policy of maintaining or increasing its payouts, cut its dividend 70 per cent at its interim results in February, with Mr Mackenzie saying that the sector had entered a “new era” when dividends had to be linked more clearly to underlying profits. The Anglo-Australian group’s underlying profit fell 92 per cent in the first half of its financial year compared with the previous year. The group reported a $5.7bn interim net loss after $6.1bn of impairments to assets including its US oil business and Samarco, the Brazilian iron ore joint venture where production is paralysed after a dam failure killed 17 people. BHP is expected to try to persuade investors that it is well protected from any renewed downturn. Mr Mackenzie has already said the group’s period of investment in coal and iron ore is at an end and that any growth is likely to focus on copper or oil. While the group has slashed capital spending, from $22bn in 2013 to an expected $5bn next year, Mr Mackenzie has said the group can “now deliver the same for less” and will start to have more choice of where to invest as it completes its largest projects. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2016. You may share using our article tools. Please don’t cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web. Source link