Studio flats mean convenience and access to Zone 1 July 30, 2009 A COUPLE of decades ago it was common enough for City executives to keep a small flat in London to stay in during the week, returning to their family homes in the country at weekends. The heyday of the pied a terre may have passed thanks to improved commuting links and the soaring costs of [...]
Ministers split over timing of VAT increase July 26, 2009 A CABINET rift has opened up over whether VAT should rise to its previous rate at the end of the year. Retail and hospitality executives, who have campaigned for months against the change, were buoyed last week when Harriet Harman said the planned rise from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent on January 1 [...]
Ministers split over timing of VAT increase July 26, 2009 A CABINET rift has opened up over whether VAT should rise to its previous rate at the end of the year. Retail and hospitality executives, who have campaigned for months against the change, were buoyed last week when Harriet Harman said the planned rise from 15 per cent to 17.5 per cent on January 1 [...]
Covering up in style July 2, 2009 GOING to the beach is a whole fashion experience. Think you can get away with your swimsuit and an old T-shirt or sundress? No way. The sun, sand, sea or pool call for a lot more. Leaving aside totes, towels, deckchairs, designer suncream, fetching hats and gleaming sandals, let’s focus on your body. What you [...]
Clubs vying for capital gains August 13, 2009 LAST YEAR might have been a bad one for the City, but for London’s clubs it was a boom time of sorts. Although Chelsea were the only side to finish with silverware, all five of the capital’s outfits claimed top 10 places, and most have reasonable hopes of improving this season. But on the eve [...]
Clubs vying for capital gains August 13, 2009 LAST YEAR might have been a bad one for the City, but for London’s clubs it was a boom time of sorts. Although Chelsea were the only side to finish with silverware, all five of the capital’s outfits claimed top 10 places, and most have reasonable hopes of improving this season. But on the eve [...]
Summer sparklers June 11, 2009 SWEATY days in the city and holidays in blue-skied paradises do not warrant clunky jewellery. In hot weather, elegance is all. This summer it’s easier than ever to find jewellery that embodies the languorous feeling that comes with sunshine. Here we have picked a small sample of gorgeous pieces that are both luxurious, serious jewels [...]
Find your way to Mayfair’s secret gardens August 13, 2009 THINK of Mayfair and you probably don’t think of greenery. Sure, there’s tidy old Grosvenor Square for you to spread out in at lunchtime on a sunny day, or the island of grass at the centre of bustling Berkeley Square. There’s even Hyde Park once you take your life in your hands and fight your [...]
CONDOM MAKER DUREX TO FACE A NASTY ITCH AT ANNUAL MEETING July 22, 2009 PRICKLY business is in the offing at today’s annual meeting for investors in Durex condom maker SSL International, as minor shareholder Tariq Siddiqi prepares to take a stand. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Siddiqi shot to fame back in 2005, when he persuaded David Blunkett to take up the bioscience job that eventually [...]
Central flats are the future of luxe London living June 4, 2009 THERE is something distinctly un-British about city apartment living. The Americans and the Europeans see it as perfectly normal, even desirable, but we Brits like our houses, simply because it is what we are used to. We would much rather have a small house with smaller garden and a longer commute to work, instead of [...]