Lloyds ploughs £20m into new restaurant fund September 3, 2012 LLOYDS Banking Group’s private equity arm said yesterday it has agreed to provide £20m for a new restaurant fund set up by the former boss of The Clapham House Group. Paul Campbell is setting up the fund through his vehicle Hill Capital in partnership with LDC to invest in restaurant businesses with a small number [...]
Higher spenders would be better than a new strategy October 24, 2012 WHAT does the future of retail look like? Clicks-and-mortar is the buzzword of the moment (Tesco calls its version Clicks and Bricks), a Frankenstein-like stitching together of physical retail locations with online, anytime ordering. When Home Retail Group (HRG) announced its strategy to turn around Argos yesterday that’s very much what it had in mind, [...]
Conde Nast bucks publishing trend to deliver profit boost September 3, 2012 VANITY FAIR magazine publisher Conde Nast soared to a 14 per cent increase in pre-tax profits last year – boosted by a surge in UK turnover, according to accounts obtained yesterday. The firm, which publishes Tatler, GQ, Vogue and Glamour magazines, took pre-tax profits to £17.3m versus £15.1m a year previously. The strong performance from [...]
Focus On: Soho October 25, 2012 BEAK STREET, W1F Price: £3.99m This corner four-bedroom semi-detached house is located near Golden Square. It stretches six floors, has three kitchens and a basement, currently used as a bar, which can be put to other use. Contact Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward on www.kfh.co.uk or 020 3280 3541 HAT FACTORY AND BEAVER BUILDING, W1F Price: [...]
Where to drink August 23, 2012 In recent times, London has witnessed a renaissance of the private members’ club, updated dramatically from traditional gentlemans’ clubs, yet retaining much of their DNA. This Spring, Robin Birley (of Annabel’s stock) opened 5 Hertford Street in Shepherd’s Market, a beautiful bordeaux-coloured 23,000 square foot building featuring elegant dining rooms, oyster bar, terrace courtyard, cigar [...]
A Romney victory would have a big impact on UK economy October 14, 2012 IF a week is a long time in politics, then three must be an eternity. The US presidential elections, which will be held on 6 November, are now becoming truly spell-binding, with any outcome still possible after an almost unbelievably bitter campaign. Remarkably, Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate, now leads the overall vote in all [...]
Food & Booze News September 3, 2012 London Restaurant Festival tickets on sale Bookings opened this week for the 4th annual London Restaurant Festival. More than 800 restaurants have put together special festival menus available for as little as £10, to celebrate the thriving London culinary scene. Log onto londonrestaurantfestival.com for more information. Keep hold of your Union Jacks A new restaurant [...]
Your first move onto the property ladder September 9, 2012 UK HOUSE prices saw their biggest fall for a year in the three months to July 2012, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics). But the capital is bucking the trend. London property prices grew by 6.5 per cent over the last year, according to last quarter’s Greater London Authority London Housing Market [...]
London will find it hard to benefit from Chinese currency ambitions September 23, 2012 IT is meant to be the great new market that will transform the City’s prospects. In April, London hosted the launch of the first renminbi (RMB) bond to be issued outside Chinese sovereign territories. George Osborne hailed it a “significant moment”, as he declared his ambition to see London play a key role in the [...]
London will find it hard to benefit from Chinese currency ambitions September 23, 2012 IT is meant to be the great new market that will transform the City’s prospects. In April, London hosted the launch of the first renminbi (RMB) bond to be issued outside Chinese sovereign territories. George Osborne hailed it a “significant moment”, as he declared his ambition to see London play a key role in the [...]