How England’s World Cup performance hits pub share prices June 3, 2014 Another nugget of research into the impact England’s World Cup performance could have – this time, it's about pubs. Equiniti, the share registration services provider, decided to collate the share price drop the UK’s listed pub chain operators saw at the point England crashed out of previous tournaments. As one might expect, the quicker we've [...]
The Vote is a funny, touching love letter to the British democratic system May 7, 2015 Donmar Warehouse | ★★★☆☆ ”I only just wrote some of this… I hope it works out.” These aren’t the words you expect to hear from a playwright seconds before his latest work is performed, but The Vote is no ordinary play. It was broadcast in real-time on More4 last night as the final [...]
The UK’s ageing population: Use this interactive map to see the country’s average age getting older March 23, 2015 We all know the UK has a problem with its ageing population. There are currently 10m people aged 65 and over across the country, and official projections are for that to grow by 5.5m in the next 20 years. By 2050, the number of people over 65 is expected to reach 19m – one [...]
Mix it up: How to make the best Bloody Mary in the world April 28, 2015 The best Bloody Mary you’ll ever taste should be the one you make yourself. After all, every bar, pub and airplane makes it differently, and probably not to your liking. In fact, far too many places make them spectacularly badly. You may even be under the impression you don’t like Bloody Marys. I certainly [...]
Restaurants toast strong festive sales January 15, 2015 PUB AND restaurant groups had a reason to cheer this Christmas after like-for-like sales surged 2.8 per cent in the six weeks to 3 January compared with last year. London led the charge, with underlying sales up 4.4 per cent, according to the Coffer Peach Business Tracker out yesterday.
Wetherspoon ends drinks deal with Heineken after supply row December 9, 2014 Wetherspoon is waving bye-bye to Heineken and will pull the brewer's products from all of its 926 pubs, following a fall-out over pricing in Ireland. Wetherspoon said on Tuesday that the Dutch brewer had refused to supply Heineken lager and Murphy's stout to its new pub in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin. The group also said that Heineken had [...]
Nigel Farage, The Brand New Heavies and Innocent Drinks founder shake it up at Jim Mellon’s Christmas party December 17, 2014 What do nineties band The Brand New Heavies, Nigel Farage and Innocent Drinks founder Richard Reed have in common? They were all at millionaire fund-manager Jim Mellon’s Christmas party last night, of course. The shindig took place in Mellon’s pub in Notting Hill. The Capitalist had the pleasure of meeting the man the boozer was [...]
Sky share price reaches 15-year high of 1,005p on pan-European status February 25, 2015 Despite more cost pressure than ever on European pay TV broadcaster Sky, its shares touched a new high yesterday as investors remained optimistic about the group’s future. Shares rose 3.18 per cent to 1,005p on the London Stock Exchange, even as Sky prepares to swallow a huge £4.2bn bill to hold on to its Premier [...]
Q&A: What are beer ties and why are they in a frayed knot? November 19, 2014 Q What are tied-pubs and how does the arrangement work? A These are pubs that buy beer from the firm that holds their lease at above market prices in return for benefits like lower rent. Q Why have tied-agreements proved so controversial? A Opponents of tie-agreements argue they stifle competition and [...]
Greene King reports lacklustre interims despite record sales December 4, 2014 BRITISH pub operator and brewer Greene King yesterday reported underwhelming interim results for the first of the 2015 financial year, in spite of record sales in the period. The Suffolk-based brewer recorded a 3.5 per cent decline in profit before tax and exceptional items to £82.6m for the first half, primarily on the back of [...]