Music venues are in dire straits: V&A show asks how we can help Life&Style As the V&A opens its Lost Music Venues exhibition, James Balmont asks we can save the grassroots institutions under threat A trip to the V&A often conjures up images of great Renaissance sculptures, haute couture and centuries-old tapestries – but those patronising the Kensington institution this summer will find something very different. In Lost Music [...]
Toast the City winner: The Rising Sun on what makes a great pub Life&Style At the inaugural Toast the City Awards, one of the most amazing moments was seeing Sheila Dixon, one half of the husband and wife team behind City pub the Rising Sun, shed a tear as she collected our award for Best Boozer. The Rising Sun is one of those pubs where everyone feels like a [...]
Tax hikes call time on two pubs a day crushing 2,400 jobs Hospitality The government’s bitter round of tax hikes imposed on the hospitality industry is said to have forced the closure of two pubs a day in the first three months of the year in yet another blow to the already bruised sector. Figures from the Beer Bar and Pub Association (BBPA) showed 161 pubs across Britain [...]
Hows Trump’s war in Iran is hitting hospitality April 22, 2026 The hospitality sector has already been hammered by taxes, regulation and minimum wage hikes. Now Trump’s war in Iran is hitting everyone’s discretionary spending, says Sacha Lord I’ve written so much about how Hospitality, not just in London, but across the whole of the UK is suffering right now. I’ve been scathing towards the Chancellor, [...]
Consumer confidence suffers biggest drop in four years amid Iran inflation fears April 20, 2026 Consumer confidence fell at the fastest rate in four years as Brits tightened their purse strings amid fears the Iran war will spike inflation. Brits’ confidence in their spending power fell by three per cent at the start of this year, as it reached its lowest level since 2023 and made the biggest drop since [...]
Pizza king points to youth joblessness as restaurant group eyes takeovers April 15, 2026 The boss of restaurant group Bow Street raised concerns over youth joblessness as the firm behind Dim T slipped into an annual loss, but outlined his dealmaking plans. David Page, now the chief executive of the Aim-listed firm, is a former boss of Pizza Express and played a key role in the expansion of Franco [...]
Rocco Forte: Inheritance tax grab has endangered my family firm March 25, 2026 With luxury outposts across Europe, and plans to expand to the Gulf, Rocco Forte Hotels has become one of Britain’s most successful hospitality exports. But after being hit by a wave of damaging policies – including a potentially existential inheritance tax crackdown – he tells Ali Lyon, he is more disillusioned with Britain now, than [...]
Rocco Forte: Middle East tourism ‘could increase’ after ceasefire March 24, 2026 Tourism volumes to the Middle East could increase after a ceasefire in the region if the US and Israel topple the Iranian regime, Sir Rocco Forte has said as he doubled down on investment plans in the region despite an exodus of visitors. The billionaire hotel magnate, whose eponymous Rocco Forte Hotels is part-owned by [...]
Ministry of Sound says clubbing is back as it reopens The Box February 27, 2026 Famous London super club Ministry of Sound turns 35 this year, celebrating the occasion with the completion of a five year, multi-million pound renovation. The final piece of the puzzle: the main arena, known to generations of clubbers simply as “The Box”. Self-described as “one of the most revered club spaces in the world” there’s [...]
When a Building Reminds You Why You Love Your Job February 26, 2026 Every so often, a project comes along that captures the essence of why working in and for a great city is such a privilege. The opening of the new hub by Premier Inn by Whitbread in Farringdon at the Old Bailey is one of those moments that we now encounter quite frequently in the City, [...]