Lloyds TSB are delighted to announce the success of the first lunch club in their ‘Around the Table with...’ series, which took place at Peveril House on the 23rd September 2011. The lunch club invites key figures from a variety of backgrounds to talk to members of the Island’s business community about the major issues facing them today. Guest speaker Simon Aldous, Valuation Director at Savills, came to the Island to discuss the prime Central London residential market. He also commented on topical issues such as valuations for offshore trusts and estimating rentals payable by beneficiaries of offshore trusts. Simon commented; “I think that this event worked very well and the ‘Around the Table with...’ program is set to be a success. It was an excellent opportunity to stimulate discussion about important issues, but in a very relaxed environment. The focus of this lunch was the huge growth in residential values across the board in Central London. There has been a growth of over 5% in all price ranges in 2011, with particular growth in equity rich boroughs such as Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and Islington. “At Savills, we foresee that the current uncertain global economic climate may hold back further growth, if there are falls, history tells us that there will be a quick bounce back. Ultimately there will continue to be strong increases in the prime London market through to 2015. This is as a result of three major contributory factors; London is seen as a ‘safe haven’, there is a low level of newly built property, and low interest rates. This is something that businesses need to be aware of in order to best represent their clients’ needs.” The first lunch was an outstanding success with positive feedback from those who attended. One representative from a local CSP said: “Simon was an extremely eloquent and knowledgeable speaker, and this lunch provided a fantastic opportunity for me to update my skill set in respect of the London residential market.” Another guest is looking forward to the next lunch already: “The discussions, the food and the company were all of the highest order and very much enjoyed by all.” The lunch series will continue for the next 12 months, focusing on a different issue at each session. The guest speakers will be varied in order to combine local expertise with a more global viewpoint. Speakers will include key Government figures and representatives of the business sector. Lloyds will be also be calling on their own Executive Management from the International Bank in Geneva to share their knowledge with the lunch club. Trevor Kirk from Lloyds TSB, stated: “We are thrilled to have been able to present such an informative and engaging speaker for the first event in our lunch series. We hope that all of the participants found it stimulating, and we look forward to seeing them each month. At Lloyds, many of the businesses that come to us for corporate banking interact regularly with high-net worth individuals. We hope that our regular lunches will help equip these businesses with the expertise necessary to take a well-rounded approach to their high-net worth clients. We started this lunch club with the aim of giving businesses on the Island a deeper insight into the pertinent issues affecting their clients today and helping them to form their strategy to flourish in the future.” http://www.lloydstsb.com - ENDS -