Why the misguided war on alcohol is bad news for London November 3, 2015 We are at a crossroads. With the Night Tube held up in negotiations, a new report from the Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) – which claims that alcohol is placing an unnecessary strain on emergency services – is now being exploited by those who want to see a reduction in pub, bar and club licensing [...]
Spectre and the Rugby World Cup boost leisure spending in Britain to £5.4bn in October November 25, 2015 British households spent an average of £206 each on leisure activities in October, up nine per cent, or £18, from this time last year, but down one per cent from September 2015. That equates to a total spend on leisure activities of £5.4bn in Britain last month. Wetter weather in October held back monthly spending slightly, although [...]
The politics of advertising: M&C Saatchi’s Tom Bazeley talks AI and Alex Salmond February 15, 2016 In the run-up to the 1997 general election, M&C Saatchi produced an iconic poster for the Conservative Party, which depicted Tony Blair’s face with the eyes of a demon. The strap-line read: “New Labour, new danger”. Though condemned in some corners as negative advertising, the piece won plaudits, though Labour still won in a landslide. For [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Local councils allowed to take home all receipts from property sales November 25, 2015 Local councils will be allowed to keep all of the money raised from asset sales to reinvest in local services, the chancellor announced today, as part of a wider move to encourage the sale of hundred of billions of pounds of public sector land. In his Autumn Statement speech, chancellor George Osborne said locals governments [...]
Toronto mayor John Tory falls in love with London’s Docklands on visit October 25, 2015 Perhaps it isn’t news that a conservative that goes by the name of “Tory” took a shine to Canary Wharf this weekend, but one conservative Canadian’s sheer jubilation at the sight of a Tube map was just too good not to share. Following the Canadian general election, which saw the country’s Liberal party swan into office [...]
How normal are your spending habits? UK household expenditure reveals what Britons spend most money on December 10, 2015 Do you spend more or less money on wine than the average Briton? How about takeaway coffees? You probably already know that that daily vanilla latte you buy to get you through the morning commute tallies up to astronomical sums over the course of the year. But if you’re worried, or perhaps just curious, about [...]
EarlyBird gets the worm on Crowdcube and beats £300,000 fundraising target with two days to spare November 4, 2015 EarlyBird, the healthy snack delivery service, has beaten its £300,000 fundraising target two days ahead of schedule on crowd funding site Crowdcube. The fund on Crowdcube, which is still running, has raised £311,200 so far bringing EarlyBird's total equity investment since starting out last autumn to £600,000, which includes an earlier fund on Crowdcube and a [...]
Six Nations 2016: England head coach Eddie Jones is charismatic but tough and robotic, say players past and present February 3, 2016 A daring new appointment as skipper, seven uncapped rookies in his maiden squad and wisecrack-laden press conferences have all suggested that English rugby is set for a thrilling and unpredictable ride under its new, wily Australian head coach Eddie Jones. Off the pitch, perhaps. But opinion is divided among some in the game about whether [...]
Standard Life lures Countdown star Rachel Riley to pull the pub quiz crowds January 14, 2015 Moving on to pensions now, but oddly not away from pubs, it seems Standard Life is continuing its theme of using celebrities and drinking holes to get us to think about our pensions. Last month the pensions provider published a video featuring Gogglebox’s Steph and Dom, talking about their long-term savings with some people in [...]
The City Pub Company owners look to set up £100m fund to acquire 50 pubs November 25, 2014 Owners of The City Pub Company – Clive Watson, David Bruce and John Roberts – are looking to raise £100m to purchase 50 pubs in England’s major cities, it emerged yesterday. “The pubs are going to be individual free-houses in the great cities of England: Bristol, Bath, Norwich, Birmingham, Manchester and London. All un-branded and [...]