The ultimate no-fuss, late-season ski resort March 4, 2012 WE are having dinner in the swankiest restaurant in Les Deux Alpes when a strange story comes through on the iPhone. A high-flying Tory MP has been pictured at an outrageous Nazi-themed stag do in nearby ski resort Val Thorens (he is eventually forced to resign as an adviser to David Cameron). Though just a [...]
Pubs call last orders as supermarkets take trade March 28, 2011 THOUSANDS of pubs and bars are facing closing time for good, with the number of establishments handing back their licences doubling over the last three years. Sweet &?Maxwell, the legal analyst, said that 5,700 licences were surrendered in the last 12 months, an increase of 13 per cent and more than double the amount in [...]
Rugby World Cup: where in London you can watch it September 8, 2011 THE games may not be taking place at the easiest time of day for those of us unable to travel to New Zealand, but that’s not going to stop fans coming out in force to support the home teams. Luckily, there are plenty of pubs and bars in London offering breakfast, sandwiches and good cheer, [...]
COMING SOON TO AN OLD PUB NEAR YOU… A BRAND NEW WAITROSE April 5, 2011 WAITROSE wants to grow – but Britain seems strangely bereft of suitable sites for the grocer, which is fighting a bitter convenience store war with its bigger rivals. So a desperate Waitrose has launched a highly unorthodox appeal to landlords to help it out. All sites and all properties will be considered, says the grocer [...]
Joe Lewis pulls takeover offer for troubled M&B October 13, 2011 MAVERICK investor Joe Lewis withdrew his offer for pub chain Mitchells & Butlers yesterday, blaming poor trading and higher risk in the business. Lewis’s investment vehicle Piedmont, M&B’s biggest investor, said it had dropped the informal 230p-per-share bid to buy the company at below its market value. “After careful consideration, Piedmont has decided not to [...]
Joe Lewis pulls takeover offer for troubled M&B October 13, 2011 MAVERICK investor Joe Lewis withdrew his offer for pub chain Mitchells & Butlers yesterday, blaming poor trading and higher risk in the business. Lewis’s investment vehicle Piedmont, M&B’s biggest investor, said it had dropped the informal 230p-per-share bid to buy the company at below its market value. “After careful consideration, Piedmont has decided not to [...]
CITY VIEWS: DOES THE LOCAL BRITISH PUB HAVE A FUTURE? March 28, 2011 Save or Borrow peer to peer at RateSetter.com TOM JOY | PWC “Yes. This question has been asked since the smoking ban. But pubs will always have a future, especially in central London as they are a convenient hub for meeting people.” ANDREW SINCLAIR | CHUBB “I think the number of drinkers will fall significantly [...]
Tiguan shows 4x4s can be city cars January 3, 2012 It’s taken me years to come around to the 4×4. I wouldn’t say I was anti-SUV – it’s just that I’ve never understood the attraction. For a life in the countryside, fine, go right ahead, it makes a lot of sense. Off-road, in a Landie, I’m having as much fun as the next guy. I [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD November 20, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Mitie Group announces its half-year results today. The facilities management company offers a range of building and support services, from industrial painting and engineering, to catering and cleaning. ● Mitchells & Butlers announces its final results and De La Rue announces its interim results tomorrow. M&B runs about 2,000 pubs and restaurants [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD November 20, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Mitie Group announces its half-year results today. The facilities management company offers a range of building and support services, from industrial painting and engineering, to catering and cleaning. ● Mitchells & Butlers announces its final results and De La Rue announces its interim results tomorrow. M&B runs about 2,000 pubs and restaurants [...]