Leading Channel Islands pub group raises glass to £118m takeover by Caledonia Investments September 8, 2016 Caledonia Investments completed its deal to gulp up leading Channel Islands pub owner and brewer The Liberation Group today for a tasty £118m. Liberation was previously owned by LGV Capital, a branch of Legal and General, before Caledonia backed a management buyout led by the pub group’s chief executive and finance director. The company, founded in [...]
Belief in people has led architecture firm Darling Associates to success November 15, 2017 Napoleon once said “an army marches on its stomach”. Looking after your army was important for Napoleon, and it’s also a top priority for Chris Darling, founder of Darling Associates, although unlike Napoleon’s army, his team are showing no signs of being underfed; he’s conquered (built an office in) both London and Poland, working on [...]
Digital Innovators: Q&A with BenevolentAI founder and chairman Ken Mulvany February 13, 2018 BenevolentAI is a tech company which applies AI to accelerate scientific discovery. Last year BenevolentAI was identified as one of 50 of the freshest and most inspiring digital companies using technology and innovation to shake up their sectors in our Digital Innovators Power List. Following a public vote and after careful consideration by supporting partners [...]
British wine lovers look to Eastern Europe and Portugal as wine price rises August 21, 2017 Sales of wine from Eastern European countries have quadrupled at the UK’s largest wine retailer since the Brexit vote. Figures released yesterday by Majestic Wine show that British consumers are turning away from the traditional wine regions as the average price of a bottle reaches an all-time high of £5.55. Read more: It’s official: Wine [...]
Last Week in the City: England has an 8.5% chance of winning the World Cup May 18, 2018 Garry White, chief investment commentator, looks at the market-moving events that have shaped the UK equity markets this week (14 to 18 May 2018). UBS has used its City analysts’ predictive firepower to try and work out the winner of the upcoming World Cup in Russia – and England came surprisingly high in its league [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan is hiring experts to boost street markets in the capital April 20, 2017 London mayor Sadiq Khan is setting up a “markets board”, the first of its kind in the capital, to help boost local businesses. Khan is recruiting a team of industry experts and business leaders to support growth in high streets and town centres. The London markets board will assist the mayor in coming up with [...]
Focus On Woolwich: Crossrail, a huge regeneration project, cultural quarter and affordable housing in SE18 July 14, 2017 The West End, the Southbank, Shoreditch and now… Woolwich? Could this south east London suburb be the new place you head to on a Saturday night to soak up some culture? If it’s astronomical house price rises over the past five years are anything to go by, it could well be. In March, planning permission [...]
Focus on Leyton & Leytonstone: First time buyers, cafes and coffee shops take over the high streets of E10 and E11 June 13, 2017 First time buyers have a fight on their hands if they’re planning to buy in Leyton. The E10 neighbourhood, along with its E11 sibling Leytonstone, is one of the most sought-after affordable housing hotspots in the capital. The popularity of nearby Stratford has undoubtedly boosted the good fortunes of this area, as the overspill has [...]
Brexit vote hasn’t affected sales but 21 pubs a week are still shutting August 11, 2016 The Brexit vote has not yet affected turnover at the country's watering holes, but hefty beer prices are still driving pubs to close at the "alarming" rate of 21 per week. Enterprise Inns, the UK's largest pub company, said sales rose 1.9 per cent in the 44 weeks to 30 July and the group remains [...]
BT Sport price increase will place “huge pressure” on pubs July 14, 2016 Pub groups have hit out at BT Sport's 8.9 per cent subscription price rise, announced yesterday, that will be enacted from 1 September. BT's move follows a 10 per cent price rise from Sky last month. The average monthly price for BT Sport for an independent pub will increase by £35 a month to £430, excluding [...]