Q&A: Fintech boss Janine Hirt on how London can stay ahead of EU rivals FINTECH SITDOWN Fintech is an increasingly vital part of the UK’s financial ecosystem – so it’s high time to chat with Janine Hirt, the CEO of industry body Innovate Finance, on the challenges that come with keeping the UK out in front of Europe While the UK has historically been a global leader in FinTech – receiving [...]
How Gaucho’s boss has turned the once-troubled steakhouse into a success story WELL DONE - EXCEPT THE STEAK Martin Williams – the man behind M Restaurants – and his partners pulled Gaucho out of administration in 2018. Since then he’s turned the brand into one of the hospitality industry’s shining lights, with profits up and expansion continuing. We ask him how he’s done it. ASK regular restaurant-goers what their biggest bug bear is [...]
David Carrick failures see the Met betray the trust of Londoners – again andy silvester A failure of leadership? A broken culture? An abject lack of responsibility? All three seem evident at the Metropolitan Police – an organisation which has lost the trust of Londoners. Yesterday’s lurid details of the crimes of David Carrick – a serial rapist who used his warrant card to win the trust of his victims [...]
Gaucho to open Covent Garden restaurant as steak success continues January 16, 2023 COVENT GARDEN has been the home of ballerinas, opera singers and street performers for more than a century – and it will soon add Argentinian cowboys to its cast with the opening of a new outpost of steakhouse favourite Gaucho. The man behind the group, Rare Restaurants’ boss Martin Williams, told City A.M. he would [...]
This isn’t just a good Christmas: M&S retains ‘top turkey’ title as festive sales spike January 12, 2023 Once-troubled M&S continues to deliver positive news to investors with turkey sales helping give the firm a healthy Christmas period
Asos’ UK sales slip as analysts warn firm has a “mountain to climb” January 12, 2023 Pandemic darling Asos reported a further decline in UK sales this morning, with the fast fashion flagship’s boss insisting the firm was making good progress on a turnaround plan. UK sales slipped eight per cent year on year in the four months into December 31, with the firm blaming “weak consumer sentiment.” Fast fashion firms, [...]
Tesco: Bumper Christmas sales will put shares in the spotlight this morning January 12, 2023 TESCO enjoyed a bumper Christmas period, it told markets this morning, with like-for-like sales up nearly 8 per cent despite bruising economic headwinds. The supermarket told markets this morning it had seen customers switching to Tesco across December. The boost meant revenues hit a cool £19.7bn in the UK and Ireland for the quarter to [...]
A year on from Mayonnaise-gate, Terry Smith mounts another attack on Unilever January 10, 2023 Legendary City investor Terry Smith has written another excoriating review of Unilever’s business performance, a year after he made headlines for criticising its focus on the “purpose” of Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. In his annual letter to shareholders, the Fundsmith chief lists a series of complaints about the consumer goods firm, saying it had failed to engage [...]
City A.M.: Thursday’s the new Friday – so we’re going digital only on Friday January 9, 2023 City A.M. is back on the streets of London today after a Christmas and New Year hiatus – and, responding to the new word of work, will now be a ‘digital-only’ publication on Fridays. Since returning to print in September 2021, City A.M. is back to almost 100% of its pre-pandemic circulation levels across the capital and [...]
Mexi-go-go: How Tortilla has turned burritos into big business January 9, 2023 Mexican restaurant chain Tortilla has revealed that sales jumped by a fifth over the past year despite the impact of train strikes and poor weather. Shares in the group rose on Monday morning after the 85-strong chain revealed that revenues grew 20% to £57.7 million over the 12 months to January 1, compared with the [...]