Countryside Properties appoints chairman ahead of likely float January 11, 2015 COUNTRYSIDE Properties will today announce the appointment of David Howell as its chairman, ahead of a planned stock market flotation next year. The building firm’s hire of the former Berkeley Group director is part of a wider move to bring its governance structure in line with that of a typical listed firm. As part of [...]
April Fools’ Day 2015: The best (and worst) jokes from BMW, Sun Life, Confused.com, Richard Branson and the London Eye April 1, 2015 Alright, so this year the various political weirdnesses (Joey Essex interviewing Nick Clegg, anyone?) have caused an air of ridiculousness to hang over Westminster for several weeks now – but outside the London bubble, the once-a-year gag fest that is April Fools' Day has kicked off in earnest. Here are some of the best (and [...]
London Welsh desperate to avoid completing rugby’s worst season February 23, 2015 They’ve lost every game of this campaign and their gym is in a tent, but Ross McLean found Exiles on surprisingly chipper form IT MAY be tough at the top but that is nothing compared to the burden weighing heavily on London Welsh as the Exiles run the ominous gauntlet of being dubbed the worst [...]
LA Fitness to sell 33 gym chains after landlords back rescue deal March 25, 2014 LANDLORDS to gym chain LA Fitness have backed a controversial deal allowing the loss-making group to offload nearly half of its clubs and slash its rental bill. LA said yesterday that 33 of its 80 clubs will be put up for sale over the next six months after a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) was supported [...]
Low cost gyms merge to create £300m empire February 11, 2014 THE PRIVATE equity owners of two fast-growing budget gym chains announced plans yesterday to join forces, creating a £300m fitness empire that would rival the UK’s more established players. Pure Gym is to merge with rival low-cost operator the Gym Group, in a deal that will see the new company owning more than 100 gyms [...]
Encore Capital back again for luxury health club acquisition November 9, 2014 ENCORE Capital, the London-based investment firm focused on entrepreneurial growth businesses, yesterday completed the acquisition of the 37 Degrees health and fitness club from venture capital investor Albion Ventures. The move comes as Encore looks to expand in the broader healthy lifestyle segment and follows on from the group’s purchase of luxury gym operator The [...]
The best ways to build exercise into your commute September 30, 2014 Carving out time to go to the gym during the week can be tricky, so why not get your trainers on and use your commute to work out instead? This can be a great way to incorporate exercise into your daily routine, but it’s not without its risks. Katherine Cran, a physiotherapist at the Bupa [...]
Helios penthouse atop Kew Bridge West’s Hyperion Tower is a whole new level of luxury October 30, 2014 Flowers are not the only things sprouting up in Kew these days. A number of new housing developments are entering the market, enticing buyers to find better value for money in the greener, airier, more spacious suburbs of south west London. One of these is Kew Bridge West, a new development from St [...]
The hour-long lunch break: Is it worth taking? December 15, 2014 Even well-known executives aren’t afraid to take some “me time”. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have been known to take them together. The French often take twice as long as the rest of us (and the Italians longer still), while 20 per cent of Brits claim not to take one at all, according to [...]
Escaping the City: Thousands of people are starting to leave and do their own thing – here’s how they make the leap April 29, 2015 Hidden behind a mountain of shoe boxes in the middle of a Surrey Quays office block, Eralp Bayram and Michael Haynes can be found staring determinedly at their laptops as they try and work out how to turn the footwear industry on its head. With children's shoe shopping stuck firmly in the off-line realm, the [...]