House prices fall February 1, 2012 House prices fell by 0.2 per cent in January compared with the previous month, according to the Nationwide. The building society, the first to report on January’s prices, valued the average home at £162,228. The annual rate of house price growth slowed to 0.6 per cent in January, from one per cent in December, according [...]
Meet the enchanting new Peugeot January 31, 2012 Hybrid cars have been on sale in Europe for a while now. Toyota, Honda, VW and even Porsche all sell hybrid versions of their cars that improve on fuel economy by supplementing their petrol engines with electric motors. Until now, such cars have made the most sense for North America or other regions that don’t [...]
CAR TALK January 31, 2012 BMW GIVES THE X6 A FACELIFT BMW has released the first pictures of its facelifted X6. The Sports Activity Coupé has a new revived face with a more pronounced kidney grille, higher fog lights and adaptive LED headlamps. Available with five engine choices, the xDrive30d is the most frugal and can be fitted with BMW’s [...]
UBS commits to Broadgate development January 30, 2012 INVESTMENT bank UBS committed to a future in the City yesterday, after it finalised a pre-let agreement to move into British Land’s new Broadgate development. The deal is the final seal of approval for the £850m project, which was last year threatened by an application for listed status of the original estate by conservation group [...]
Scents for beating the chill January 30, 2012 Fortitude is needed when stepping into the chilly grey city day after day. Everyone has their own way of combating winter blues, from Krispy Kremes to extra exercise. For me, it’s scent. A waft of patchouli or a burst of deep red fruit has the power to wake me up and make me smile, for [...]
FIT IN THE CITY January 30, 2012 FITNESS & DIET EXPERT So as Britain’s running stars head off to Kenyan training camps ahead of the London Marathon and 2012, tedious stints on the treadmill seem even more unappealing than usual. But with more and more training add-ons available to compliment your running, there’s no need to go it alone this spring. THE [...]
The Rib Room is okay… but that’s it January 30, 2012 The Carlton’s eatery turned 50 last year, celebrating with a refurb and new chef. But has it worked? Jumeirah Carlton Tower, SW1X 9PY FOOD ** SERVICE **** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £65 Elderly restaurants can be a bit like grandparents – demanding of respect without doing very much to deserve it. They [...]
OUT OF OFFICE January 30, 2012 EAT DINNER WITH LUKE AND LEIA The hottest dinner ticket in town next week hails from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars fans have the chance to attend a glitzy three-course meal on 2 February at the Park Lane Hilton, as the countdown to the release of The Phantom [...]
Qatar sovereign fund close to buying Credit Suisse London HQ January 29, 2012 QATAR’S sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), is in the final stages of acquiring Credit Suisse’s headquarters in London and may sign the deal in a few weeks, two sources familiar with the matter said. “They’re working out the details now. It’s a matter of a few weeks,” one of the sources said, adding [...]
Gerald Ronson returning to service station roots with bid January 29, 2012 PROPERTY tycoon Gerald Ronson plans to return to his roots with a bid for a collection of Welcome Break service stations put up for sale by Robert Tchenguiz. The Heron Tower developer, who has boasted he “probably knows more about petrol retailing than anyone in the country” after 40 years in the business, has expressed [...]