Comptoir Libanais losses widen as casual dining sector is served further bad news September 15, 2017 The UK’s casual dining sector received more bad news this morning as the parent of Comptoir Libanais restaurants reported increased pre-tax losses. It follows similar results and warnings from several other businesses in the casual dining sector, all of which have warned on a difficult trading outlook, especially in parts of London. Read more: Out [...]
Focus On Brixton: David Bowie, buzzing nightlife and honest burgers keep average house prices at around £550,000 July 27, 2017 In many ways, Brixton is the capital of south London. With its excellent transport links into central London and exhaustive range of shopping, dining and nightlife options, if you didn’t have to work, you probably wouldn’t need to leave. It even has its own currency. Over 250 businesses accept the Brixton Pound and around £50,000 [...]
Franco Manca pizzas serve up profit rise for owner Fulham Shore July 14, 2016 Sourdough pizza chain Franco Manca’s expansion drove a profit rise at owner group Fulham Shore last year. Fulham Shore, which also owns The Real Greek and Bukowski Grill, reported operating profit of £3.2m and revenues of £29.5m for the 12 months to 27 March. Seven new Franco Manca pizzerias opened in the period and a [...]
Focus On Southfields: This south west London suburb is bucking the London property trend ahead of Wimbledon June 2, 2016 If you went down to Southfields today, you’d be in for a big surprise. Buying London property is hardly a teddy bear’s picnic at the best of times, but as buyers rush to the leafier outskirts in search of more affordable property, outer boroughs that were once overlooked are finding they’re in high demand. London [...]
Private equity firms dine out on restaurant chains January 19, 2016 The restaurants and bar sector was a veritable feeding frenzy of deals last year, with more choice of companies to buy than an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. Robust trading conditions thanks to improved consumer spending provided an opportune time for private equity companies to sell long-term investments to rival buyout firms with cash to spend. CBPE’s sale of [...]
The Bermondsey Yard Cafe review: Is this SE1 restaurant keeping up with its trendy neighbours? November 17, 2015 The times they are a changin’ down on Bermondsey Street. One of the finest Italian kitchens in London and a long-time standard bearer of transpontine dining, is set to close before Christmas. Rising rent prices have reportedly forced the closure. The arrival of Fulham Shore-owned Franco Manca further points to an area of London commanding increasingly [...]
Franco Manca owner strikes franchise deal to expand burger joint Bukowski November 2, 2015 City restaurateur David Page’s leisure vehicle Fulham Shore has become the latest company to cash in on the “posh burger” craze after striking a deal to expand American-style barbecue joint Bukowski Grill. The Aim-listed company, which snapped up sourdough pizza company Franco Manca earlier this year, said it has entered a franchise agreement with Bukowski’s [...]
Restaurant review: Be prepared to shell out for Crab Tavern July 21, 2015 Crab Tavern is the tenth restaurant to open at the City’s newest dining destination, Broadgate Circle. It’s now overflowing with the kind of high-end, high-turnover gastro-chains that private equity guys go nuts for: opening branches in the City completes a perfect capitalist ouroboros in which we can literally get rich off of our own appetites. [...]
Focus on Balham: Once the butt of jokes, now the SW place to be June 11, 2015 When Peter Sellers said Balham was the “Gateway to the South” he was poking fun at the fact that nothing of note ever happened there. A semi-suburban no man’s land at the bottom of the Northern Line, it was the pinnacle of meh – the kind of place north Londoners probably think about when they [...]
Selfie fever hits London hotel June 10, 2015 Kim Kardashian, P Diddy, Barack Obama and Kelly Brook. What do they all have in common? They love a good selfie. And from today, Swish St James’ hotel Conrad is offering selfie sticks to all their guests as part of a new marketing campaign. These can either be ordered from the minibar at £12 each, [...]