YO! Sushi owner gets taste for Byron burgers June 9, 2013 THE OWNER of high street restaurant YO! Sushi has emerged as a potential suitor to snap up hamburger chain Byron after submitting a bid for the company, it is thought. Quilvest, which bought the Japanese restaurant in 2008 and also owns Mexican grill restaurant Tortilla, is in the running alongside Searchlight Capital Partners to take [...]
Cameron’s last ditch gamble to buy some time on Europe June 9, 2013 ONE of my favourite political leaflets of recent years was produced by the Liberal Democrats. Accompanied by a picture of a youthful, smiling Nick Clegg, it castigates the Tories for only promising a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, rather than offering a much broader in or out poll. “It’s time to give the British people [...]
Britain’s economy is finally recovering – enjoy it while it lasts June 8, 2013 TIMING, as they say, is everything. If you are interested in the short-term, and agree with John Maynard Keynes, not my favourite economist, that we are all dead in the long run, now is the time to turn bullish. Growth is returning. There is no doubt that the UK economy is looking up; the short-term [...]
Fortnum & Mason to open its first new UK store in 300 years June 8, 2013 FORTNUM & Mason, the department store known for selling travel hampers to well-heeled customers, plans to open its first new British shop in more than 300 years at St Pancras train station. Fortnums, based in Piccadilly since 1707, hopes to tempt travellers passing through St Pancras into a new outlet that will open in November. [...]
Today is tax freedom day – and time to think the unthinkable June 8, 2013 TODAY is tax freedom day in the UK – the day that you start to work for yourself, rather than for the government. For an average UK resident, the entirety of January, February, March and April, and virtually all of May, went on part-financing the state – the first 150 days of the year. It [...]
The changing skyline of Aldgate June 4, 2013 Aldgate is fast becoming a hub for mixed-use developments offering the best in modern living. Naomi Mdudu investigates. The east end isn’t the only area under major regeneration. Aldgate, which lies within the City Fringe, a transitional area between the financial district and east London proper, is quickly becoming a prime residential spot and is [...]
Thatcher changed the City forever but Big Bang isn’t the whole story June 3, 2013 THERE is a myth gaining traction that Margaret Thatcher’s deregulation of the City through the Big Bang in 1986 ultimately led to the crash of 2008. This is part of the reductionist approach of much of the left-leaning commentariat. The reasoning seems to go: something terrible happened in 2008; Thatcher was terrible; therefore the actions [...]
Why shale gas could be the saviour of Britain’s environmental targets May 31, 2013 THE debate around shale gas has been dominated by the economic benefits of production and the perceived risks of hydraulic fracturing. But we shouldn’t lose sight of the wider environmental picture. Developing shale gas in this country can benefit the natural world in several ways. First, it can reduce carbon emissions by replacing gas imports. [...]
Dragon’s cloud computing firm lists with Soros among investors May 24, 2013 A CLOUD computing company founded by a star of TV show Dragon’s Den will become the latest technology firm to tap London’s markets for funding this morning. Outsourcery, which counts the newest Dragon Piers Linney as its co-chief executive, will float on Aim, London’s junior market, this morning with a valuation of £35m. The company, [...]
Cheap money is fuelling the stock market’s dramatic bounce May 10, 2013 FOR the first time ever, the Dow Jones has closed above 15,000, in a major boost for investors everywhere. Remarkably, the index was at 14,000 just 66 days ago and is now up by 129 per cent since the 2009 trough, in a striking demonstration of the speed and scale of the bounce-back. With the [...]