Are Manchester United really about to become Qatar’s latest high-profile buy? December 19, 2010 WHEN Manchester United visited Qatar in January it was touted as a sunshine break, a chance for their title-chasing players to escape from the freezing conditions gripping England at the start of the year. But it also prompted whispers that the country’s most famous club were sounding out appetite to invest in United, or even [...]
Mouchel calls in Deloitte as austerity bites December 2, 2010 MOUCHEL yesterday confirmed Deloitte has been drafted in to examine how far the firm’s future income could drop, sparking fears it could follow Connaught and Rok into administration. The engineering consulting and design group has been rocked by swingeing cuts in government spending, resulting in the haemorrhaging of contract income. Deloitte was called in by [...]
The irrepressible entrepreneur December 9, 2010 MOST people will recognise Brent Hoberman as the poster boy of the first dotcom bubble. He and his co-founder Martha Lane Fox publicly listed Lastminute.com on the day the market peaked. Yet unlike so many internet businesses they rode out the crash before selling the business in 2006 for $2bn. “We hit a zeitgeist moment,” [...]
The housebuilding chief executive who can see clear blue skies ahead September 26, 2010 FOR A MAN who took over a housebuilder in the middle of a devastating financial and property crisis, David Ritchie, the chief executive of Bovis Homes, looks remarkably relaxed. But it is certainly fair to say the pain has eased in recent months for the firm, even though Ritchie remains in the middle of turning [...]
Behind the scenes at the house of KRUG December 19, 2010 KRUG, the grand old Champagne house, has been feeling a little unloved of late. Revered across the world as a wine that’s emblematic and long-lasting, it is perhaps perceived as a Champagne to be bought, sold and stored, rather than drunk in celebration. This was not always so, and Krug wants to have fun again. [...]
Behind the scenes at the house of KRUG December 19, 2010 KRUG, the grand old Champagne house, has been feeling a little unloved of late. Revered across the world as a wine that’s emblematic and long-lasting, it is perhaps perceived as a Champagne to be bought, sold and stored, rather than drunk in celebration. This was not always so, and Krug wants to have fun again. [...]
Luxury names sign for One Hyde Park November 7, 2010 OPULENT brands Rolex and Chanel are on the verge of signing a deal to take the final two shops at One Hyde Park, the £1bn London development by Nick and Christian Candy. British watchmaker Rolex is believed to have signed for the second retail space in the development, which is slated as London’s most expensive [...]
US house prices at 6-year low September 22, 2010 US HOUSE prices fell 0.5 per cent in July to their lowest level in six years, official figures showed yesterday, heaping further woes on homeowners as the end of government-backed tax credits aimed at first time buyers began to bite. The US government had offered first time buyers a tax credit of $8,000 (£5,106) to [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING December 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES CLEGG WARNING TO BANKS ON BONUSES Nick Clegg has warned Britain’s banks that the government would not stand on the sidelines if they paid out lavish bonuses and failed to increase lending, increasing pressure on David Cameron to toughen his stance on the City. “They don’t operate in a social vacuum,” he told [...]
Bewitching homes for beautiful living October 28, 2010 WHILE few sane people would relish the idea of cohabiting with a ghost or other supernatural presence, Britain is an old country and has its fair share — perhaps more than its fair share — of spooky residences. We have more graveyards than you can shake a stick at, and plenty of people have died [...]