City of London Distillery launch party: Are Gin Lane days returning to the City? October 27, 2015 As the nights get longer and the evenings colder, it seems that London’s institutions and offices are throwing austerity out of the window in a bid to warm the cockles with artisan food and beverages. The City of London Distillery held a very boozy launch party last night, celebrating its latest product – Christopher Wren gin. The distillery, [...]
A watchdog must do more than bare teeth October 23, 2015 It's little surprise that two of the City’s fiercest watchdogs avoided banker-bashing rhetoric at Mansion House last night. Tracey McDermott and Andrew Bailey were, after all, speaking to around 300 financial sector workers at this year’s City Banquet hosted by Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow. Both followed one of the primary rules of public speaking – [...]
Lord Mayor of London Alan Yarrow to call for more investment in UK infrastructure October 23, 2015 London needs the right infrastructure and skills in place to remain competitive on a global stage, leading City figures are expected to say this afternoon. Speaking at Confederation of British Industry's annual autumn lunch, the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Alan Yarrow, will say that skills and infrastructure are crucial to London’s long-term success. “Just [...]
Why City Giving Day showed us just how much of a triumph the Square Mile really is October 4, 2015 Guildhall yard is pretty nippy at 8am. The wind whistles through the gaps in the buildings and there’s no sun to warm the paving stones. But on Wednesday last week, no-one noticed any of that – we were all too involved in the carnival of community work that was City Giving Day. We had businesses. [...]
EU referendum: Stop the complacency or Britain could sleepwalk out of the European Union October 1, 2015 There must have been something in the water at Number 11 Downing Street in the 1970s and 1980s: two of the most famous post-war chancellors have now said they will vote Out in David Cameron’s forthcoming EU referendum. Denis Healey told the New Statesman some time ago that he would vote to quit Europe [...]
Lord Mayor tours London firms on City Giving Day October 1, 2015 Shoes were shined, ties were straightened, balloons were inflated and cakes were freshly baked for the arrival of Lord Mayor Alan Yarrow at dozens of the Square Mile’s banks and financial institutions to mark City Giving Day, where he saw first-hand what they do to give back to society. Joined by company leaders from [...]
How deep will you dig on City Giving Day? September 30, 2015 I doubt I’ll ever forget the sight of Lawson Muncaster, our MD and co-founder, abseiling down the Lloyd’s building earlier this month. Nor will I forget the support given to him by the waiting crowd of City A.M. staffers, cheering him on from street-level. It seems the Lord Mayor’s City Giving Day has [...]
New Bloomberg headquarters in the City put up for sale by Legal & General September 29, 2015 Bloomberg’s new European headquarters near Mansion House in the City have been put up for sale with a price tag of around £100m. Legal & General confirmed it has put its freehold interest in Bloomberg Place on the market, after more than 60 years of ownership. News of the sale comes after the vast 3.2 acre site, [...]
Kurobuta London’s controversial sign at Mayfair restaurant pits East against West September 29, 2015 Kurobuta, the sleek and exclusive oriental eatery just off Mayfair, has made an enemy of a section of London’s Japanese community after locals discovered a sign in the restaurant’s window advertises something other than sashimi. Readers of Japanese language local newspaper Japan Journals wrote in horror after discovering that the sign for the restaurant, [...]
Can you Adam and Eve it? Cockneys gather in the City for a right old-fashioned knees-up September 27, 2015 It's Harvest Festival season, and to celebrate the City traded sharp suits and brogues for pearls and pinnies as cockneys dominated the financial district on the weekend. Glistening pearls, donkeys, shire horses and music hall favourites – the Pearly King and Queen Harvest Festival had it all. Pearly Kings and Queens joined Aldermen and [...]