Frazer Thompson of Chapel Down: Why I’m crowdfunding again January 7, 2016 The crowdfunding industry isn’t old enough to have veterans, but it does have experienced players. Frazer Thompson, the chief executive of Chapel Down, is now on his second campaign, raising £1m in return for 5.88 per cent equity on Seedrs to fund a new, state-of-the-art brewery in which the firm will make its Curious Brew beer [...]
UK wine-production keeps gaining in popularity, with a 41 per cent increase in new labels October 26, 2015 It's been a vintage year for UK wine-makers, with 65 new producers registering with HMRC up 41 per cent from last year. There are currently 470 commercial vineyards in England and Wales, mainly producing sparkling wine as our slightly-damp climate and chalky soil is similar to conditions in Champagne. The growing numbers – more than [...]
Chapel Down looks to rise £1m for Curious Drinks on crowdfunding site Seedrs October 21, 2015 Curious Drinks, the beer and cider brewery belong to British wine-maker Chapel Down has launched a crowdfunding campaign with Seedrs. The brewer, whose offerings include beers made with champagne yeast, is hoping to raise £1m in its equity funding to build a combined brewery and bottling plant in Kent, which it hopes will be operational by December [...]
I’ll drink to that: Sales at British winemaker Chapel Down up a third September 25, 2015 British winemaker Chapel Down announced sparkling interim results yesterday, with year-on-year sales up 33 per cent and gross profits up to £1.17m, a 31 per cent increase on the year before. The Kent-based vineyard’s speciality – sparkling wines – enjoyed a 45 per cent increase in sales, accounting for £2.28m of the total figure of [...]
London property focus on North Greenwich: Affordable homes by the riverside September 4, 2015 Fancy a night out in North Greenwich? No, not that one with the market, the chapels, the observatory and the ship. The other one with the O2 Arena and… not much else. It’s a hard sell, truth be told, so imagine how much harder it must be to convince someone to live there. Once a [...]
Car review: New Bentley Mulsanne Speed is silent but speedy August 11, 2015 We’ve all been there. You’ve booked to go to the theatre or a restaurant with friends and the day before, they cry off. This time it was down to a rugby tackle from a small child to the side of my friend’s knee. The result was strapping, crutches and a level of pain that rendered [...]
Rome: The Eternal City that Hollywood can’t leave alone June 7, 2015 The Eternal City has managed what the Russians never could: knock out 007. Daniel Craig was shaken and stirred as he was carried unconscious by a wailing ambulance to hospital when the Aston Martin DB 10 he was driving in a high speed chase around the Tiber river hit pot holes while filming Spectre, the [...]
Profits surge at Kent winemaker Chapel Down after large harvests April 23, 2015 Profits at winemakers Chapel Down soared 175 per cent in the year ending December as large harvests poured through to the bottom line. Revenues in the company expanded 21 per cent during the period on the year before, reaching a record £6.1m and leading to pre-tax profits of £187,000. The Kent-based company also saw sales [...]
How to avoid a hangover: Investing in fine wine April 23, 2015 Tom Welsh examines the risks and opportunities of this alternative asset class. At an auction in Hong Kong late last year, the record for the most expensive super-lot of wine ever sold was broken. Going for the equivalent of about $1,700 per glass, 114 bottles of Romanee- Conti Burgundy were bought for approximately $1.6m by [...]
Restaurant review: Percy & Founders brings a taste of spring to Fitzrovia April 21, 2015 Is there a greater sign of our times than a hospital closing down to be replaced by a modern European restaurant and some offices? It’s the kind of thing politicians go wild for, especially this close to an election. “I pledge that my government will favour nurses over barbecued langoustines. We need hospital beds, not [...]