Good morning.
Donald Trump has announced that he will run for president(£) in 2024. Sort of.
His announcement came as his right hand man at the Trump Organization, Allan Weisselberg(£), pleaded not guilty to tax evasion.
It is almost as though someone has pointed out to the Property Prez that only sitting presidents are immune from prosecution.
Back in the UK, the chair of an influential Commons committee has warned that Morrisons(£) would be weakened by a private equity takeover. Clayton Dubilier & Rice is pursuing the supermarket, with plans for an “aggressive” sale and leaseback of the 85% of the stores that Morrisons owns.
The government is in talks to back at least six new gigafactories(£), after Nissan confirmed its £1bn investment in Sunderland.
Westfield London has signed flexible office operator Venture X to run its new 19,000 sq ft co-working space.
Intu’s former chairman John Strachan has joined niche retail agency CWM s its first chair.
Meanwhile, McBains has picked 49-50 St John Street in Farringdon, EC1, as its new HQ.
L&G is bringing BTR to the ‘burbs with a £70m scheme at its £1bn North Horsham site.
And Camden has given the nod to the £350m new Moorfields Eye Hospital, freeing up the £200m sale of the current City Road site.
Gap’s retreat from the UK has left another hole in the high street that will be hard to fill, says The Times (£).
But Primark and H&M(£) are doing just fine. The FT (£) says their diverging fortunes shows the future of the UK retail.
More than 100 countries(£) including Britain have agreed to a global minimum corporation tax(£) rate of 15%.
The Times (£) has an obituary for aristo landowner the 8th Earl of Lonsdale, who inherited the family estate – mountains and all – but had to turn o truck driving to make ends meet.
And finally, it seems the leafy delights of Cobham, Surrey, have waned for Antonio Banderas. The Zorro star moved there with his girlfriend, Nicole Kimpel, in 2017, making the town about 100% cooler with their arrival. But now the ‘burbs have lost their buzz and the couple have put their glass and steel Huf Haus on the market(£) for just under £3m. The Cobham house was her choice apparently, as Kimpel, an investment banker and part-time property advisor has loved Hufs since her childhood in the Netherlands. Now it is Banderas’ turn to return to his roots, with the couple taking permanent residence in his childhood hometown of Malaga. But do not despair, good people of Cobham. Zorro always returns.
