YOUNG’S CHEERS CITY November 19, 2009 LONDON-focused pub group Young’s & Co yesterday reported a 3.7 per cent jump in its first-half pre-tax profits as drinkers flocked to its City outlets. The group, which has 221 pubs in the capital, said it made a pre-tax profit of £12.3m in the six months to 26 September, compared to £11.9m last year.
Starbucks UK hails record performance January 21, 2010 A 20 per cent rise in sales of gingerbread and toffee nut lattes helped Starbucks UK record its sixth straight month of like-for-like sales growth in December. The coffee giant, which has 661 stores across the UK, said an “exceptionally busy Christmas period” saw like-for-like sales last month rise six per cent leading to an [...]
Pubs to fight competition probe June 8, 2009 Pub companies are to fight a rearguard action to prevent a potentially damaging probe into competition issues at the heart of the industry. A cross-party committee of MPs last week called on the Competition Commission to look into the arrangement by which pub tenants buy beer directly from landlords. But Enterprise Inns is now leading [...]
Best City spots for a winter warmer November 18, 2009 When there’s a nip in the air, there’s nothing quite like getting your mitts around a nice, hot glass of mulled wine. In these days of online shopping and alternative Queen’s speeches, not a lot remains of the traditional Dickensian Christmas – so when you see a spot of hot wine infused with spices, you [...]
Brulines profits despite pub turmoil June 9, 2009 Beer flow monitoring systems manufacturer Brulines yesterday said profits and revenue rose over the past year as pubs concentrate on maximising efficiency amid the economic turmoil. Aim-listed Brulines posted a 19.6 per cent rise in full-year adjusted pre-tax profit, while revenue rose 11.7 per cent to £19.1m. The firm proposed a 7 per cent increase [...]
2010 is the year of the big move to the country March 25, 2010 MANY who earn their crust in London dream of living in the country, and there are good reasons to make 2010 the year to make the move. While the property markets in the desirable parts of London have now fully recovered, with prices similar to those achieved in the 2007 peak, the same isn’t true [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 22, 2010 THE SUNDAYS THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH TORIES’ ENERGY PAPER MONTHS LATE The Conservatives’ flagship energy paper may not appear until April – six months after its original planned publication – leading to industry fears of policy disagreements in the run-up to the election. One senior figure who has seen a draft of the paper said that [...]
Tottenham tycoon Joe Lewis gets his ally a seat on pub group M&B’s board July 16, 2009 JOE Lewis, the Bahamas based billionaire who controls football club Tottenham Hotspur, yesterday won his battle to gain a seat on the board of pub group Mitchells & Butler (M&B). Lewis has appointed Richard McGuire, a former Citigroup investment banker, as a non-executive on the board after passing the stake threshold needed for a board [...]
BEST OF THE BROKERS November 26, 2009 AEA TECHNOLOGYRBS yesterday reduced its target price for AEA Technology to 27p and moderated its stance to “Hold” – despite the group’s 43 per cent jump in revenues and eight per cent lift in operating profits in the half year. But RBS?said it was concerned about AEA’s increased pension deficit of £137.6m. However, the broker [...]
An East End gastropub on the up November 23, 2009 The Princess of Shoreditch76 Paul Street EC2A 4NE,Tel: 020 7729 9270Cost per person without wine: £34 THE NEWLY revamped Princess of Shoreditch describes itself as a “gastropub and restaurant”, which might be seen as having your cake and eating it, but the owners have grand ideas. In the bar downstairs you can get souped-up pub [...]