Food, coupons and ale drive Greene King’s profit higher December 3, 2013 GREENE King reported revenue growth of more than five per cent yesterday on the back of strong retail pub sales during the first half of the year. The company said that food sales and its use of promotions at its retail pubs had led to profits reaching £85.6m, up 5.7 per cent during the six [...]
The Long View: Stop speaking like a corporate robot – for the sake of capitalism itself January 9, 2014 HERE’S a new year’s resolution for business: learn to speak human. The state of business language as a whole remains an abiding scandal. HSBC’s coinage of “demising” as a euphemism for “sacking” led last year’s pack, but corporate statements that resemble something delivered by an alien with a glitchy translator are hardly rare. I’ve written [...]
Why raising the minimum wage is not the best way to help Britain’s poorest January 8, 2014 IT IS widely rumoured that the government is moving towards a commitment to increase the national minimum wage (NMW) well above levels suggested by the – usually fairly sensible – Low Pay Commission. This may be good news for some workers, but I’m not convinced that it is sensible policy. Temporarily recognising the constraints on [...]
Great Portland joins forces with Hong Kong Monetary Authority November 7, 2013 GREAT Portland has joined forces with Hong Kong’s central bank to develop a scheme that will sit next to Crossrail’s new Bond Street Station. The West End developer said yesterday it will sell properties that form part of Hanover Square in Mayfair to the joint venture fund, GHS Limited Partnership, for £202m. The Hong Kong [...]
The rise of the London Village January 16, 2014 IT SEEMS these days everyone wants their slice of village life, even if they live and work in the heart of the city. The Big Smoke has always been made up of distinct neighbourhoods with their own character and lifestyle, but the idea of the London Village has really taken hold in the public imagination [...]
This Valentine’s Day’s most unromantic gestures February 13, 2014 It’s the day before Valentine’s Day. Millions of people are no doubt racking their brains to think of something romantic to do for their loved one, manically typing “Valentine’s ideas” into Google and hoping some fresh idea will have appeared since they first Googled it this morning. The weather’s too bad for a romantic [...]
Foodie who hit the ground running September 29, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks to David Moore, the restauranteur behind London’s Pied a Terre THE GLOBAL restaurant industry is forecast to increase in size by 7.2 per cent over the next three years, rising from total revenues of $2.45 trillion (£1.53 trillion) in 2011 to $3.48 trillion by the end of 2016. And in the UK, [...]
Meander through London on the trail of great Italian food October 8, 2013 London Restaurant Festival’s Ciccheti Trail is a foodie’s dream THE PUB crawl, once a concept that filled my youthful soul with an inordinate degree of excitement, nowadays seems somewhat antiquated. Is this my fault – is it simply that I have grown into a dour 30-something severely lacking any kind of alacrity? Or is the [...]
Crown Estate pushing ahead with £1bn Regent Street scheme October 28, 2013 THE CROWN Estate said yesterday it has begun works on the latest stage of its Quadrant development, part of its ambitious £1bn scheme to revitalise and open up the south end of London’s Regent Street. The Quadrant is made up of four blocks at the southern end of Regent Street at the sites of the [...]
Irish bank puts Royal Exchange up for sale with £75m price tag October 17, 2013 THE ROYAL Exchange looks set to change hands after its Irish owners put it up for sale with a £75m price tag. The iconic site above Bank station is being sold off by The Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, which said yesterday it has hired property advisers CBRE to market the 450-year-old building. The Royal Exchange [...]