CNBC Comment: Davos cynics miss its true relevance January 28, 2014 IT’S EASY to be hysterical or snarky about the annual gathering of chief executives, politicians, economists and “thought leaders” at the World Economic Forum in Davos (which begins this week) – particularly if you’re not going. Plenty of conspiracy theorists suspect that the world’s elite is gathering in this small Swiss town to plan the [...]
Battle of the Burgers: Burger King serves up sales growth to equal rival McDonald’s October 28, 2013 Fast food chain Burger King has reported higher quarterly profits on the back of cost reductions and higher same-restaurant sales growth in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Burger King said that same-restaurant sales grew by 0.9 per cent in the third quarter – the same as the growth reported by rival McDonald's [...]
Cinven edging closer to selling out of Gondola October 28, 2013 CINVEN is nearing an exit strategy for its investment in the company behind Pizza Express, Zizzi and Ask restaurants. Private equity group Cinven intends to hire banks within weeks with a view to selling or floating Gondola Holdings at some point next year. Cinven and Gondola, which sold off the Byron burger chain to Hutton [...]
Catering group Searcys put up for sale with price tag of £25m November 24, 2013 SEARCYS, the operator of the restaurant at the top of the iconic Gherkin tower, has been put up for sale with a price tag of around £25-30m. The upmarket catering company, which also operates the champagne bars at the One New Change shopping centre in the City and at St Pancras station, has hired financial [...]
CNBC Comment: Davos cynics miss its true relevance January 20, 2014 IT’S EASY to be hysterical or snarky about the annual gathering of chief executives, politicians, economists and “thought leaders” at the World Economic Forum in Davos (which begins this week) – particularly if you’re not going. Plenty of conspiracy theorists suspect that the world’s elite is gathering in this small Swiss town to plan the [...]
Hammerson and Westfield plans for Whitgift Centre win approval November 25, 2013 PLANS for the £1bn redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon were given the go-ahead by the council’s planning committee last night. Developers Westfield and Hammerson have been granted outline planning consent to convert the tired 1960s shopping centre into a 1.5m square feet retail and leisure destination with 600 new homes. The scheme, which [...]
How to grow a business from a bean January 26, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks student life and staple diets with James Eder, founder of marketing firm The Beans Group IN THE age-old debate over whether entrepreneurship is innate or can be taught, James Eder – founder of The Beans Group – makes a strong case for the former. At 13, he and his brother Michael created [...]
Aukett snaps up rival architects’ firm for £1.6m December 19, 2013 AIM-LISTED architectural firm Aukett Fitzroy Robinson (AFR) has snapped up the European arm of American rival Swanke Hayden Connell (SHCE) for £1.6m, in a further sign of returning confidence in the market. The new company will be called Aukett Swanke and is expected to generate £16m in annual sales, employing 340 staff across eight countries. [...]
City Boy at Large: Can a booze-free spa break convert our cynical urbanite? March 2, 2014 He may be more at home in the Emirates Stadium but the Bedford Lodge gives our reporter a well needed break WHEN someone says “spa”, my initial word association-style reaction is to think of the Belgian Grand Prix. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, to give it its full name, is a favourite on the Formula One [...]
Thomas Cook sells Neilson to Luke Johnson November 25, 2013 LUKE Johnson, the serial restaurant entrepreneur best known for putting Pizza Express on the map, yesterday struck a deal to buy specialist sports travel group Neilson from Thomas Cook for £9.15m. The deal is Johnson’s second in the travel sector this year after his investment vehicle Risk Capital bought a majority stake in online holiday [...]