Luxury hotels are engaged in a race to the top to treat their wealthy customers to ever more extravagant perks, from designer wardrobes to private jets July 7, 2016 Back in the late 1800s, the Savoy famously became the first hotel in London to run on electricity, a sign of true luxury at the time. It also had lifts, “speaking tubes” so that guests could call for a maid and, later, en suite bathrooms with showers. Over the decades, it has continuously evolved to [...]
Darty share price soars as Christo Wiese’s Steinhoff International wades in with £662m offer March 2, 2016 Shares in Darty have soared by nearly 10 per cent this morning after South African retail conglomerate Steinhoff International made a £662m offer for the UK-listed electrical chain – a move that could scupper its already agreed sale to French rival Fnac. Darty said it has received a cash offer of 125 pence per share from the [...]
Gallery: When Muhammad Ali came to London — rarely seen pictures of “The Greatest” in the Big Smoke June 4, 2016 Muhammad Ali's global status and following is illustrated in the long list of locations to stage his fights that stretches far beyond heavyweight boxing's traditional orthodoxy of Las Vegas casinos or New York's Madison Square Garden. From Bavaria to the Bahamas, from the "Thrilla in Manila" to "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire, Ali's [...]
Pure Gym speeds up £20m makeover of former LA Fitness sites November 5, 2015 Budget gym operator Pure Gym is flexing its muscles and speeding up £20m plans to revamp the 43 LA Fitness sites it acquired this summer. The chain, which beat off competition from rivals including Sports Direct to buy LA Fitness for an estimated £70m, has already refurbished and reopened three sites in Brighton, Bedford and [...]
The No.1 Fitness 12-week challenge: How to train to be a trainer December 14, 2015 “In 10 weeks I’ve completely turned my fitness around,” says Sam Pridham, our guinea-pig for No.1 Fitness’ Total Body Transformation. “I had no idea how quickly I’d get into shape – now the end of the 12-weeks is in sight I can’t wait to get into the gym every morning.” But training isn’t the only [...]
Sunday trading hours: Why the campaign against changes to the law by industry groups and Tory MPs is utterly bonkers March 7, 2016 I am confused, bemused and somewhat irritated by the constant threats from MPs, trading bodies and groups around the country to derail the government’s plans to relax the Sunday trading laws. Creating barriers to trade is out-dated and puts the UK at risk. More than 20 Tory Ministers and MPs have threatened to block the plans before [...]
Sports Direct gives up chase for posh fitness chain Soho Gyms September 27, 2015 Sports Direct has abandoned its bid for upmarket fitness centre chain Soho Gyms, according to reports. The retailer had held discussions with the gym company with the aim of reaching a deal that would extend its own gym business, Sports Direct Fitness, which launched in November last year. However, The Sunday Telegraph reported that the [...]
Britons spend less on drinking out in November after Rugby World Cup hangover December 23, 2015 Consumer spending on going out and entertainment fell by eight per cent in November as Britons tightened their belts ahead of Christmas. Households spent £17 less on leisure activities last month compared with October, dragging year-on-year spending down by two per cent overall, according to pub group Greene King’s latest Leisure Spend Tracker. Drinking out [...]
Fitness First in £200m revamp to lure back old fans May 11, 2015 Gym chains profit from helping people stay in shape, which is no easy feat when the customer in desperate need of a health kick is the club itself. Fitness First, which was rescued by its lender Oaktree Capital from the brink of collapse in 2012, has faced the gruelling task of getting back on form [...]
The beautiful Caribbean island of Anguilla is the shimmering blue epitome of tropical fun times June 3, 2016 Far out in the well charted waters of the east Caribbean lies the Leeward Island chain, and at its northern tip is an utterly charming little strip of limestone called Anguilla. Its interior is arid, scrubby and overrun with semi-domesticated goats and chickens, but it is frilled with some of the most incredible beaches in [...]