Tortilla fuels expansion plans October 1, 2012 Mexican restaurant chain Tortilla has secured £2.25m in fresh funding from Santander to help pay for its expansion. Tortilla’s private equity investor Quilvest said yesterday the group will open three new outlets in the UK, including one opposite Trafalgar Square, taking its total in the country to 11. It is also in talks to take [...]
Booker posts profit jump and awaits clearance on Makro deal October 18, 2012 SHARES in Booker rose more than six per cent yesterday after the food wholesaler shrugged off the poor summer weather and reported better-than-expected profits. The group,which runs over 170 branches supplying caterers, convenience stores, grocers, restaurants and pubs, said pre-tax profit rose to £51m in the 24 weeks to 14 September, up from £45m a [...]
Hard-to-beat meat at Beard To Tail October 22, 2012 RESTAURANT BEARD TO TAIL 77 Curtain Road, London, EC2A 3BS Tel: 020 7729 2966 FOOD ***** SERVICE **** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost for two people with wine: £100 I’m ONE of of those awful meat eaters that should really be a vegetarian but in actual fact, loves poor-quality canned meat and a post-pub kebab too much [...]
No austerity bite at Conran restaurants September 18, 2012 REVENUES at the London outposts of Terence Conran’s restaurant group, D&D London, have grown by four per cent over the past year as customers flocked to his eateries including Quaglino’s, Coq D’Argent (roof terrace pictured) and Bluebird. Overall, turnover rose 2.5 per cent to £75.5m.
There’s more to Nassau than relaxation and sun January 1, 2013 IN NASSAU, a red 1970 Gold Leaf Lotus Élan, zooms up the hill. A chequered flag waves and a yellow 1957 Ferrari 500 can be spotted up ahead, with a blue Aston Martin DB5 shimmering in the tropical sun in the distance. Someone who looks like Sean Connery is shaking hands with spectators. It could [...]
Marrakech does luxury — if you know where to look December 2, 2012 MARRAKECH HAS always proved popular with holiday goers: the vibrancy of the markets, its rich cultural heritage, the array of traditional food on offer and its general mystique continues to draw people in. During the 1930s it became a hub for writers and creative folk and by the Seventies, everyone from Yves Saint Laurent to [...]
US corporate results round-up October 16, 2012 Coca-Cola’s revenue misses Wall Street forecasts COCA-COLA reported quarterly revenue that came in short of Wall Street expectations yesterday, hurt by declines in Europe and Asia where it sold more lower-priced drinks. Third-quarter net income for Coca-Cola was $2.31bn (£1.43bn), up from $2.22bn a year earlier. Revenue rose one per cent to $12.34bn, while analysts [...]
Head to Lapland for a trip that is truly wondrous December 16, 2012 WE ARE due to land in Kittila in 20 minutes. There are light winds and it’s a little bit chilly on the ground with temperatures of minus 38,” the captain says as we descend on Finnish Lapland. Many people know Lapland as the home of Father Christmas, and some might recognize its snowy scenes from [...]
What the other papers say this morning September 18, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES Greening orders probe into DfiD Justine Greening, the new international development secretary, has commissioned an investigation into her department’s use of consultants, despite assurances from Downing Street that the coalition has already done its best to “bear down” on wasteful aid spending. D&D London receives sales boost London’s fine diners have helped boost [...]
Break up Whitbread and let Costa star in its own show October 23, 2012 IN a day peppered with corporate disappointments, Whitbread and its shareholders will have been more than happy to have seen their first-half results described as “outstanding” on more than one occasion. The FTSE 100 leisure firm used the term itself in its results presentation, and analysts were also keen to heap praise on a close-to 30 [...]