YANKEE RED KNIGHTS LAY CLAIM TO A NAME March 8, 2010 MANCHESTER United’s would-be “Red Knights”, the group of City businessmen currently attempting to wrest the club from the grasp of its US owners, the Glazer family, may well be in for a bit of a headache over their choice of moniker. The Capitalist last week discovered a very different group bearing the same name over [...]
Get fit as you feel the back-to-basics burn January 18, 2010 IT’S Monday 7am on a cold winter’s morning in a cavernous railway arch near Tate Modern. “Say hello to Angie,” says my fitness instructor, Brian. Angie looks fierce. I don’t like the look of Angie at all. And 10 minutes later Angie is beating me up. Thankfully, Angie is not some south London bruiser, but [...]
The river views in Istanbul are fit for a Sultan January 3, 2010 IF you have never been to Istanbul, then this is the year to do it. the Turkish capital is one of the two European Capitals of Culture for 2010 it is sharing the privilege with Pecs, in Hungary. Istanbul is an interesting choice: it has long been considered the meeting place between east and west, [...]
American-style glitz and glam come sailing into Barcelona March 28, 2010 WHATEVER the brand values are that the W Hotel group holds dear, subtlety probably sits low on the list. Take, for instance, the way it classes its rooms. Not for W those fuddy-duddy words like Superior (meaning bog-standard) and Deluxe – instead, W offers you Mega rooms and Fabulous rooms, or if you want a [...]
BC Partners shrugs off the recession with bumper profit November 8, 2009 BC PARTNERS, the private equity firm whose investments include estate agent Foxtons and gym chain Fitness First, increased operating profits last year even as the recession hit leveraged buyouts. Turnover fell in what was held to be the worst year for venture capital since 2005, but overall profits grew from £4.2m in 2007 to £5.4m. [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING September 27, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphFSA TOLD TO CLEAN UP OIL MARKETSThe Financial Services Authority has been told to examine its statutes to ensure it can prosecute oil speculators practising market abuse. The financial watchdog must also consider bringing in stronger measures to detect speculators using techniques such as phone-tapping, as well as ensuring they have enough [...]
Whitbread up as Baker hire steadies ship September 7, 2009 WHITBREAD, the owner of hotel group Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, yesterday appointed former Boots chief executive Richard Baker as a non-executive director. Baker, who is also chairman of gym chain Virgin Active, succeeds Charles Gurrassa, who is stepping down after nine years at the group. Chief executive Alan Parker yesterday slammed rumours that Baker [...]
Whitbread up as Baker hire steadies ship September 7, 2009 WHITBREAD, the owner of hotel group Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, yesterday appointed former Boots chief executive Richard Baker as a non-executive director. Baker, who is also chairman of gym chain Virgin Active, succeeds Charles Gurrassa, who is stepping down after nine years at the group. Chief executive Alan Parker yesterday slammed rumours that Baker [...]
Sun, sea and Arabian Delights November 1, 2009 THERE are many parts of the world about which I am pessimistic but Dubai, despite its recent economic woes, is not one of them. Nobody else in the Middle East has pulled off what Dubai has achieved: a peaceful, capitalist, multi-ethnic state based on commerce, property, finance, entertainment and tourism. While it has been engulfed [...]
JJB Sports set to raise extra funds July 5, 2009 Struggling sportswear retailer JJB Sports has confirmed it is considering selling shares to raise extra funds. The group, which has been undergoing a rescue turn-around led by retail veteran Sir David Jones, confirmed it was “reviewing a range of possible options to provide additional capital.” It is understood that JJB Sports is looking to raise [...]