DO YOU STILL GO OUT TO EAT IN PUBS AND RESTAURANTS? June 28, 2012 MARTIN JACKS SKANSEN INTERIORS “I still go to restaurants and pubs as much as I used to, in fact probably more, as I want to take my mind off everything that is going on economically. People are more picky about where they go and pubs are considered cheaper.” STEPHEN ALLEN RFC AMBRIAN “Of course I [...]
Whitbread says rivals will step up their game February 26, 2013 WHITBREAD warned yesterday that it expected a more competitive environment this year as two of its biggest rivals “get their houses in order” and recover from recent setbacks. The FTSE 100 group has performed well over the past year as customers trade down to its more affordable Premier Inn hotel rooms and Costa Coffee expands [...]
Brothers who took a punt on a new market | City A.M. June 13, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks tobacco with Taz and Umer Sheikh: salesmen, business partners, and self-professed pioneers of the growing electronic cigarette industry SIX years ago, the smoking ban came into force in England, making it illegal to smoke in enclosed workplaces. So when I meet Umer Sheikh – the younger of the two Sheikh brothers behind [...]
Brothers who took a punt on a new market June 13, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks tobacco with Taz and Umer Sheikh: salesmen, business partners, and self-professed pioneers of the growing electronic cigarette industry SIX years ago, the smoking ban came into force in England, making it illegal to smoke in enclosed workplaces. So when I meet Umer Sheikh – the younger of the two Sheikh brothers behind [...]
Greggs appoints Punch Taverns head as new chief executive January 24, 2013 Bakery chain Greggs has appointed the chief executive of Punch Taverns as its new head, to take over from Ken McMeikan. Roger Whiteside, chief executive of the pub group, will take up the role with effect from 4 February. He has been a non-executive director of Greggs since 2008. Aside from Punch Taverns, Whiteside has [...]
The Tipster | Punch Drunk January 14, 2013 ALTHOUGH shares in J D Wetherspoon are up by 24 per cent over the last year, continued pressure on its margins, and no major sporting events in 2013, mean that it may not be a cheerful year for the pub chain. ETX Capital quotes a price of 516.22p-519.78p. Shares in ASOS more than doubled in 2012. [...]
Brewer Fuller’s lifted by new acquisitions November 23, 2012 New pub acquisitions boosted brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner in the six months to September, as revenue jumped eight per cent despite a washout summer. Two pubs – in Brighton and Waterloo – were acquired over the six months, and a further two have been bought since the end of September, flattering the increase in [...]
Analyst Views | How did Greene king’s trading update affect your recommendation? January 14, 2013 NICK BATRAM PEEL HUNT Trading remains tough, but the group continues to deliver both top-line and margin growth. The quality of the estate and management together with the undemanding rating leaves Greene King as a core “Buy” in the sector. We retain our 702p target price. SIMON FRENCH PANMURE GORDON Our fear is that if [...]
UK leads pack in New Year dealmaking January 20, 2013 THE UK private equity industry has helped lead a flurry of European dealmaking activity in the first two weeks of the year, with close to 85 per cent of deals inked involving UK outfits, data shows. Of the £1.73bn worth of top deals inked across Europe between 2 January and 16 January, £1.46bn have involved [...]
M in meltdown as the founders join the exodus February 26, 2013 JUST a few hours after The Capitalist disclosed that five key members of staff had quit the City’s top flight financial PR agency M:Communications came the revelation that suggests things are getting serious. Founders Nick Miles and Hugh Morrison, both City veterans and big revenue earners, announced that they are also leaving the group, which [...]