Alleged burglar drops iPod in City office as he escapes
January 16, 2012 by Rob Powell
CITY of London Police want your help identifying this man.
His picture was found on an iPod Touch that was dropped by a man who had broken into offices in Bishopsgate.
The alleged burglar dropped the device and made off after being disturbed by security guards.
DC Siân Astley, of the City of London Police, said: “Initial enquiries have failed to lead us to the person responsible for this break-in.
“I believe discovering the identity of the man in this photograph may prove vital to solving this crime.”
Anyone with information should call DC Siân Astley on 020 7601 2690. Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
New business centre to open on Gracechurch Street
January 13, 2012 by Rob Powell
NEW serviced offices have been announced for Gracechurch Street in the City.
The new business centre is the latest in the Square Mile from technology focused office provider i2 Office.
The Milton Keynes-based company is growing rapidly: this will be its third facility in the City and it has just announced a new centre in Manchester and opened a new one in Greenwich.
Their latest City business centre will be on the ground and first floor of no 40 Gracechurch Street.
Philip Grace, CEO of i2 Office, commented: “Gracechurch Street will be a welcome addition to our nationwide network and further strengthens our London City offer. We have seen high demand for our other centres in London, most recently with Aldersgate, filling up rapidly; we anticipate strong interest in Gracechurch Street.”
Khalid Affara of Arab Investments, who own 40 Gracechurch Street, added: “We’re delighted to be working with i2 Office, who are clearly innovators in the serviced office market. Their demonstrable track record and recent success at Aldersgate will I’m sure see high occupancy at 40 Gracechurch Street very quickly. We look forward to working with i2 Office on this and at other London locations.”
The new business centre will be close to existing serviced offices at 51-54 Gracechurch Street and 70 Gracechurch Street.
Friday Photo: Saracens at Liverpool Street
December 2, 2011 by Rob Powell
The neglected Friday Photo returns this week with a snap of some Saracens rubgy players posing with their Aviva Premiership trophy outside of Liverpool Street station. Thanks to TheCity.co.uk’s own “Mercurius Moorgate” for this picture.
What’s happening at the Bank of Ideas?
December 2, 2011 by Rob Powell
Office news website, Offices.org.uk, sent London journalist Peter Watts to check out the Bank of Ideas that has established itself in former UBS offices in Sun Street.
Even since the financial collapse of 2008, London has had more empty office space than it knows what to do with. Or at least, more than most people know what to do with. On November 19th, however, one empty office block was put to imaginative use by members of the headline-grabbing Occupy movement, who walked in to a building just north of Liverpool Street and immediately set to work turning it into the Bank of Ideas, a community space for London.
The Bank of Ideas now occupies the entirety of a huge building on Sun Street that is owned by the UBS bank and had been empty since 2009. Pay a visit and you’ll be struck by the warmth of the welcome and the relentlessness of the activity. Notices on every wall advertise upcoming talks, marches and film screenings, and when a shout goes out that it’s time to give the building a community clean, yet more bustle results. It’s energising and impressive.
Aon take ten floors in new Leadenhall Building
November 17, 2011 by Rob Powell
The first pre-let has been announced for the under-construction Leadenhall Building.
Risk mananagement and reinsurance company, Aon, have agreed to rent almost 200,000 sq ft of office space over ten storeys in the Richard Rogers designed building which has already been nicknamed the “Cheese Grater”.
The building, which will be 47 storeys tall at completion, is a joint venture by British Land and Oxford Properties.
Robert Brown, CEO Aon Limited said, “We are delighted to have chosen The Leadenhall Building as our new London headquarters. The Aon Centre at The Leadenhall Building places us at the heart of the City’s insurance sector and the building’s impressive location and offices reflect our standing as the leading global professional services firm focused on risk and human capital management.
“The UK, and indeed London, remain an integral part of Aon Corp’s strategy. The decision to move to The Leadenhall Building confirms our commitment here and offers us an ideal platform to continue to grow our business and deliver the best of Aon to our clients.”
Aon are currently based in Devonshire Square.