Deal or no deal, reports of London’s death are greatly exaggerated October 23, 2020 London has for many years enjoyed the reputation as the world’s leading financial centre. Only New York has ever come close to challenging the capital’s crown — and since 2015 London has generally topped all the rankings. In that time, though, every paean to London’s preeminence has carried the gloomy caveat: “until Brexit”. The received [...]
Our ultimate guide to last-minute Christmas spirits, including our whiskies of the year December 21, 2020 Christmas may be ruined, but things always look better through the bottom of a bottle. If you were planning on stocking up on last-minute gifts before the big day, you may have to rethink. But the silver lining of this new lockdown means you can claw back a few days to pick up the ideal [...]
In love with Amazon? It’s just a marriage of convenience August 11, 2020 And just becauseI call you upDon’t get me wrong, don’t think you’ve got it madeI’m not in love, no no, it’s because…. I’m sure you recognise those lyrics from the 1975 hit “I’m Not In Love” by 10cc — which was precisely 20 years before Amazon was launched onto an unsuspecting world. If only we’d [...]
Coronavirus: Major cinema chains close all sites March 17, 2020 The UK’s major cinema chains have announced they will close immediately after the government yesterday ramped up the fight back against coronavirus. Odeon, Vue, Picturehouse and Cineworld have all announced the closure of all their sites across the UK, while London’s BFI Southbank has also temporarily shut after the public were told to avoid public [...]
PA Awards 2019 December 13, 2019 They’re the too-often unsung heroes of the business world, but on Wednesday evening the capital’s best PAs and EAs were given the toast they deserve at the beautiful Bob Bob Cité in the Leadenhall Building. From Sony and Spotify, to London & Capital and Lazard & Co., the awards finalists came from across London’s creative [...]
High street redundancies: Which retailers have cut jobs in the pandemic so far? February 13, 2021 Thousands of high street jobs have evaporated during the coronavirus pandemic, as retail chains have fallen under the pressure of lockdown restrictions on trading. The UK high street, which was already struggling before the pandemic, is set to look very different when shoppers return after lockdown following high profile collapses that have cost many retail [...]
Azerbaijani woman who spent £16m in Harrods granted bail by High Court November 8, 2018 A woman who spent £16m at Harrods and is fighting extradition to Azerbaijan has been released on bail following her arrest last week on embezzlement charges. Zamira Hajiyeva, the wife of an Azerbaijan banker who is serving a 15-year prison sentence in their home country, is the subject of the UK's first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), a new [...]
Coronavirus: UK retailers launch action plan to win back Chinese visitors March 5, 2020 Retailers have this morning launched a battle plan to tackle the impact of coronavirus on the sector, as a sharp drop in Chinese visitors has hurt UK high streets. The international retail sector has set up a new Association of International Retail, which has unveiled a recovery plan for the industry which will be put [...]
The Westbury Hotel owner seeks £1bn sale of Mayfair portfolio March 10, 2020 Cola Holdings, the owner of the The Westbury Hotel, is seeking a £1bn offer for its Mayfair property estate, which also includes Bond Street’s Burberry store and a private members club. Kurdish-born millionaire Bakir Cola owns the group, which has recently received planning permission to redevelop the five-star hotel in Conduit Street to attract “top [...]
Polish billionaire Dominika Kulczyk snaps up Knightsbridge property for £57.5m February 19, 2020 Polish billionaire Dominika Kulczyk has reportedly snapped up a luxury property in Knightsbridge for £57.5m. Kulczyk, one of the richest people in Poland, bought the Georgian redevelopment near Harrods from residential developer Mike Spink, after taking control of the Farringdon Property Trust, Bloomberg reported. The deal signals a pickup in London’s luxury residential market transactions. [...]