The Weekly Grill: Mark Lloyd of Notting Hill restaurant Pomona’s on his best ever meal and his gran’s jam collection November 14, 2018 Who are you and what do you do? I am a cook who loves to travel, write, learn the ‘old ways’, forage for wild food and spend as much time outdoors as possible. I’m also the new executive chef at Pomona’s, a neighbourhood restaurant in Notting Hill. Tell us about your new menu It’s all [...]
Restaurants and pubs will be the “future of the high street” in London December 16, 2018 Pubs and restaurants could be the “future of the high street” in London, according to industry experts, as new figures revealed a healthy growth in like-for-like sales throughout the sector last month. Sales grew by 2.3 per cent in London pubs and restaurants in November against the same month last year, statistics published by the [...]
If Theresa May’s withdrawal deal passes, it will haunt the Tories forever March 21, 2019 Thank you John Bercow. I’m sure that the speaker had his own reasons for announcing that Theresa May cannot just keep bringing back the same motion to parliament so she can browbeat, blackmail and bribe her backbench MPs into supporting the abomination that is her withdrawal agreement. I’m sure he is hoping that, in whittling [...]
Weapon of choice: How nutrition brand Grenade has exploded into the market November 12, 2018 Grenade is the kind of brand that just appears out of nowhere – you blink and suddenly the products are a staple stock in shops around the country. For those who have somehow missed the craze, Grenade is a food company specialising in healthy snacks – and now you’ve heard the name, you’ll probably start [...]
Horrible bosses: How retailers can clean up their image March 7, 2019 It seems like a case of “another day, another scandal” in the retail industry at the moment. This time it’s Ted Baker founder and CEO, Ray Kelvin, who has been accused of “forced hugging”. While I can’t comment on the innocence (or otherwise) of the shamed chief, he joins a growing list of alleged wrong [...]
China is proving a tough market for western brands – here’s the common mistakes that companies keep making April 12, 2019 Last week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2019 growth forecast for the Chinese economy to 6.3 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent. For comparison, the UK economy is only expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year. It’s worth noting these figures, because they highlight why many brands in the UK and elsewhere [...]
The Weekly Grill: Rochelle Canteen restaurateur Margot Henderson tells us about the first meal her husband Fergus cooked for her and her love of snails December 20, 2018 Who are you and what do you do? I am a wife to my darling Fergus Henderson, mother to three lovely young adults, a food lover and have made restaurants my life. I love to cook and eat and gather people together. My business partner Melanie and I have had restaurants for 24 years, including [...]
Uber narrows losses to $1.8bn in 2018 but revenue growth slows ahead of IPO February 16, 2019 Uber narrowed losses last year but saw revenue growth slow dramatically in the fourth quarter ahead of its IPO. The ride-hailing app said revenue grew just two per cent in the final three months of 2018 to $3bn (£2.3bn), a slowdown from the 38 per cent rise the previous quarter. Read more: Lyft to pitch [...]
Taxi firm Addison Lee loses appeal against drivers earning national minimum wage and holiday pay November 14, 2018 Taxi firm Addison Lee lost its appeal against an employment tribunal decision today, which found that drivers were not self-employed contractors running their own businesses but in fact employees of the taxi company. The Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) upheld the Employment Tribunal’s September 2017 ruling that drivers were entitled to receive the national minimum wage [...]
Millennium & Copthorne warns of ‘challenging’ 2019 as profits plummet 28 per cent February 15, 2019 Millennium & Copthorne warned today that it anticipates a challenging 2019 as it revealed that profits fell 28 per cent last year. The figures In its full year results, the hotel company reported that profit before tax for 2018 fell 28 per cent to £106m in 2018, down from 2017's total of £147m. Revenue also slipped [...]