For a British break with a twist, stay in a historic house September 20, 2009 HAVE you ever slept in a Tudor folly? I have, and very enjoyable it is too. Thanks to the Landmark Trust, the building conservation scheme that uses proceeds from guests to renovate and maintain old buildings, I stayed in one near Ipswich this summer. Organisations like the Landmark Trust and the National Trust, which also [...]
MARSTON’S TOPPED UP BY SHAREHOLDERS July 22, 2009 Pub firm Marston’s, which owns the Pitcher & Piano chain, said yesterday it had received support from 91 per cent of shareholders for its £176m fundraising. It will use the cash to acquire and develop new pubs.
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING November 4, 2009 THE FINANCIAL TIMES OPEL U-TURN LEAVES GERMANY ANGRYGermany and Russia reacted furiously to General Motors’ surprise decision to keep Opel rather than sell it, throwing up fresh uncertainty about the future direction of one of Europe’s biggest carmakers. The news that GM’s board had abandoned the sale of Opel/Vauxhall to Canada’s Magna and Russia’s Sberbank [...]
Wetherspoon is boosted by cheap booze July 15, 2009 PUBS group JD Wetherspoon yesterday said it expected its pre-tax profit for the year to 26 July to come in towards the top end of market expectations, after cost cutting improved margins. The pub chain, known for its low-cost food and bargain booze said in a trading update that like-for-like sales in the financial year to [...]
Liberty launches a second fundraising September 23, 2009 SHOPPING centre operator Liberty International yesterday rattled analysts and investors after tapping shareholders for the second time this year in a £280.5m fundraising. The group announced a placing of 56.1m shares, representing 9.9 per cent of Liberty issued share capital, at 500p each. The price is an 11.3 per cent discount to Tuesday’s closing price. [...]
For peace, nothing beats a lighthouse September 20, 2009 ON arriving at Bull Point lighthouse and its keepers’ cottages, we were left in no doubt as to why this spectacular spot on the north Devon cliffs was chosen for a lighthouse. The views out over the Bristol Channel are wonderful and on a clear day you can see both the Welsh coast and Lundy [...]
For peace, nothing beats a lighthouse September 20, 2009 ON arriving at Bull Point lighthouse and its keepers’ cottages, we were left in no doubt as to why this spectacular spot on the north Devon cliffs was chosen for a lighthouse. The views out over the Bristol Channel are wonderful and on a clear day you can see both the Welsh coast and Lundy [...]
Young’s soothes its investors July 14, 2009 London-focused pubs group Young’s said yesterday it had made a solid start to the current financial year and was trading in line with expectations despite tough economic conditions. At its annual meeting the company said total sales at its 122 managed pubs were up 3.3 per cent in the 15 weeks to July 11, with [...]
Use the right shaped glass to make wine sing August 19, 2009 IF you’re anything like the vast majority of people, you probably don’t give a huge amount of thought to your wine glasses. As long as they look the part – big for red, smaller for white and flutes for fizz – who’s complaining? Well, after a tasting last week with Austrian crystal company Riedel, I’m [...]
Greene King sales boosted by sunshine July 2, 2009 BREWER and pub owner Greene King yesterday said warmer weather had boosted trading in the last eight weeks as drinkers flocked to sunny beer gardens. The group, which owns City pubs Golden Fleece and The Old Tea Warehouse, said like-for-like sales were up 5.2 per cent at Greene King’s managed pubs in the first eight [...]