Review: Jason Atherton’s City Social at Tower 42 June 4, 2014 I’ve eaten at altitude so many times recently I now have a permanent nosebleed. It’s all over my shirt and my shoes and my food and nobody cares, because the whole of London has the same problem. All anyone in this city does now is eat atop skyscrapers. Like one of Dr Pavlov’s dogs, I [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 28 April 2014 April 28, 2014 FINANCIAL TIMES Pfizer renews interest in AstraZeneca Pfizer, the US pharmaceuticals group, has renewed its interest in a takeover of UK rival AstraZeneca, in what would be one of the global drugs industry’s largest ever deals. The US group approached AstraZeneca, which has a market value of £51.5bn, within the last week and could make [...]
Steady start for CVC Credit as it eyes further growth in lending February 24, 2014 CVC CREDIT Partners, the credit firm linked to CVC Capital, yesterday reported inaugural results for its listed European fund showing a rise in net asset value (Nav) of investments for last year. The company, which floated on London’s stock market in June, said it made an absolute return on funds invested of 3.31 per cent for [...]
Chelsea chair Bruce Buck steps down from Skadden leadership February 10, 2014 BRUCE Buck, the Chelsea football club chairman who is also a partner at law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, is to step down as head of the firm’s London office. Former Skadden Moscow head Pranav Trivedi, who also specialises in corporate finance, will step into Buck’s shoes, and spend most of his time in [...]
Towers Watson promotes Brit to run its investment business February 10, 2014 PROFESSIONAL services firm Towers Watson yesterday named a London-based director as its global head of investment, giving him oversight of $2 trillion of assets. Chris Ford, who has been with Towers Watson for 23 years, most recently as its European investment head, will oversee the firm’s vast investment business, which employs about 800 associates around [...]
The 4C: fast but no alpha male March 3, 2014 Alfa Romeo’s new sports car looks the part but its performance falls short compared to its rivals THERE’S something lurking in the special pit lane structure Alfa Romeo has built over its test track. Even in silhouette, it’s easy to pick out the rakish form of the Italian firm’s new 4C sports car. It’s waiting [...]
The Chapar: Personal shopping 2.0 April 2, 2014 THE phrase “personal shopper” makes me think of Trinny and Susannah dragging sartorially clueless men around the shops in the BBC’s What Not To Wear. These were men whose wives had threatened them with divorce unless they agreed to stop wearing cargo pants with running shoes, socks with sandals or short-sleeve shirts with anything at [...]
City & Gild: How Tesco can make us fall back in love with its brand April 17, 2014 Tesco’s current strategy worries me enormously, especially off the back of a six per cent fall in profits. Chief executive Philip Clarke has confidently explained, “Tesco will be firmly established as a middle-market retailer, which offers low prices and good quality – all under one roof”. My translation of this is essentially, “we’re going to [...]
BMW has big ideas for new Mini May 5, 2014 Richard Aucock discovers the sophisticated side of the Cooper S on a test drive around Mallorca MINI, that most celebrated of British icons, played a blinder when it launched the /new model earlier this year. It held the event on Puerto Rico, a tiny Caribbean island hardly famed for its amazing driving routes. It then [...]
A mean, green, plug-in machine April 22, 2014 The new Mitsubishi Outlander lasts and lasts – it might just be the SUV to clean up the City BATH is a beautiful spa town with World Heritage City status. But its traffic is terrible. If you thought the City was bad, try Bath at 8am on a weekday. It’s the perfect place to sit [...]