Three unusual national events are being celebrated today. Firstly, in the US, it is Paranormal Day. Apparently about 80% of Americans (33% in the UK) believe in ghosts and, notwithstanding ‘lockdown’, this is their occasion to visit a haunted house or do something equally spooky. How this will play out on Zoom or Skype remains to be seen. Today is also ‘Wear Two Different Colour Shoes’ Day. Fair enough. A bit bizarre but each to their own. However, if neither of these tickle your fancy, and you are looking for something to lighten the mood, how about celebrating World Laughter Day? WLD was first launched in 1998 by Dr Madan Kataria in Mumbai. His overriding aim has been to promote World Peace and help participants relax and de-stress in the process. Let’s face it, we could all do with a bit of that right now, couldn’t we? But, the organisers issue a word of caution … and this is no laughing matter… it isn’t suitable for sufferers of a wide range of ailments including hernias, backache and advanced piles and haemorrhoids!
Hip, Hip Hooray for London! Yet again, it is ranked Number 1 in this year’s series of St Bride’s World Cities, as it has been every year since we established the model in 2011. (Please note that to fend off any unwarranted accusations of bias, the rankings are compiled independently by consultants, Brockwell). For the benefit of any new readers … the model is intended to identify the most secure destinations for long-term global property investment. It assesses, cuts, dices and weights twenty enduring studies across five overarching themes. The only other European city in the top ten this year is Paris (5th), whilst there are four North American cities - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Toronto, and four from Asia Pacific - Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney. There has been some minor re-shuffling in the order of the next ten cities from last year’s rankings but (and this was a little bit of a surprise to The Weekly) Montreal has managed to slip into the top twenty for the first time. The full list is shown here.
Ultimately, it is London’s strong property fundamentals, business friendliness and economic and political stability that makes it stand out from the rest. And, given its amazing culture, education and sport, it is not surprising that London should also score well in the Desirability & Living sub-category too. But we all know that it has been having a tough time recently. Only New York, out of the St Bride’s top ten World Cities, has seen more Covid-19 related fatalities than London. And photographs of deserted shopping streets only add to the growing concerns for the economy. Despite the Government’s best efforts to support businesses through the launch of their Furloughing scheme, and a wide range of grants and loans, The Weekly has heard many heart-rending stories of businesses across London who are in financial distress. Here are some examples. Please note that except where we have received their specific permission, we have withheld the identity of the traders for privacy reasons:
The high class lingerie shop has gone bust.
The newspaper shop has folded.
The men’s outfitters have lost their shirt.
The baker has run out of dough.
The wedding cake people always knew it would end in tiers.
The fancy shoe shop owner is being booted out.
The shoe repairers have been soled.
Lack of trade at the coffee shop has meant they were forced to pay their rent latte.
The ice cream parlour has had its assets frozen.
Despite having stopped to take a deep breath, all the efforts of the vaping shop have gone up in smoke.
The debts owed by the employment agency have just got hire and hire.
They have decided to wind up the watch menders.
The local archaeologist is ruined.
The IT software company has crashed.
The package holiday company specialising in scuba-diving is under water.
Their main competitor who specialises in pot-holing holidays has also caved in.
The TV aerial shop has called in the receivers.
The pet shop has called in the retrievers.
The dentist is filling for bankruptcy.
The steeplechase racehorse breeder has fallen at the last furlough.
The sky-diving club’s profits are in free-fall.
It’s all over at the cricket club.
The local rowing club is up the creek without a paddle.
The dog groomers are up the creek without a poodle.
The gym threw in the towel.
The garden centre threw in the trowel.
The DIY store has been hammered.
The self-employed plasterer has gone to the wall.
The fizzy drinks company has gone pop.
It’s crunch time for both the biscuit manufacturer and the apple grower.
The food blender factory has gone into liquidation.
All the train franchises are facing their Waterloo.
The drainage company is in deep poo-poo… but there again… they always have been!
Worrying times indeed! Even so, we can be 100% confident that London, and the rest of the UK for that matter, will not allow itself to be bullied into submission by that very nasty Mr C. Ovid. After all, endurance and grit are two further attributes which contribute to why it is ranked the Number 1 World City.