Greene King posts “strapping” interims December 3, 2010 BREWER and pub group Greene King today released interim results to toast, with profit before tax increasing 17 per cent to £73m. The better-than-expected results were driven by strong food sales and expansion of its managed pubs arm, and saw group revenues rise 4.2 per cent, to £484m from £464.5m a year earlier, in the [...]
The master of business buyouts December 2, 2010 IT WAS a huge day for Matthew Riley the founder of telecommunications company Daisy yesterday. He announced a £23.5m buyout of his competitor, NEG MBO Two Limited – a big deal particularly considering that just last week Daisy bought out SpiriTel Technologies for £30m. When asked about the deals Riley grins cheekily and says he’s [...]
The man adding colour and style to the City December 2, 2010 IT’S at this time of year that lots of us are reminded just what a frightful drag shopping can be. But of course, it doesn’t have to be – you just have to find the right shop. Take the new premises of men’s clothes and accessories brand Simon Carter on Bow Lane in the City [...]
Home-builders ramp up incentives to lure hard-up first-time buyers December 2, 2010 HOME-BUILDERS have always offered buyers deals, but some are more valuable than others. Take, for example, the West Bromwich Building Society’s offer in 2004 of a free Rover car worth over £7,000 – a year before the car-maker went into administration. The downturn has left house-builders with new-builds sitting empty all over the country, and [...]
Baubles to warm the cockles this Christmas December 2, 2010 IF there’s is one time that you can have a bit of fun in the house, it’s Christmas. Even the cold heart of the most ardent minimalist melts at this time of year, and starts yearning for things that glitter and flash. But it doesn’t have to all be about twinkly lights on a tangled [...]
FASHION NEWS December 2, 2010 TANYA SARNE HANDWRITTEN SAMPLE SALE Don’t miss the legendary Tanya Sarne’s sample sale this weekend, with her sumputous collection of natural fabrics and lovely knitwear from the Handwritten line going from £15. “I design to de-stress and give women confidence in their femininity and daily lives” says Sarne (pictured) – and who doesn’t want that? [...]
London apartments with classic stylings December 2, 2010 ANYBODY who wanders through the West End for any amount of time is taken with the stunning architecture, but many don’t get the opportunity to stay in these wonderful buildings. The new generation of serviced apartments, however, offers you the chance. These are proving increasingly popular for those who regularly spend time in London for [...]
A family theatre bonanza December 2, 2010 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, NATIONAL THEATRE A new version of the fairytale classic by Lucy Kirkwood, incorporating music, magic and puppets. The director is Katie Mitchell, who was behind last year’s enthralling Cat in a Hat. Until 4 Jan. Tickets from £10 from www.nationaltheatre.org.uk MY DAD’S A BIRDMAN, THE YOUNG VIC David Almond has adapted [...]
JJB warns it may breach debt facilities December 2, 2010 JJB SPORTS warned yesterday it could breach the financial covenants of its £25m revolving credit facility with Bank of Scotland (BoS) by the end of January next year citing continued difficult trading conditions as the main reason. The trading statement comes less than a month after the firm, which employs 6,300 staff nationwide, put out [...]
Accountant pay flat but bonuses up December 1, 2010 THE CHRISTMAS bonus season should be good for UK accountants, but their salaries look set to rise at below inflation rates, a new survey has found. Six in ten City businesses expect to pay their finance staff bonuses this year, the survey by recruitment consultancy Ambition found – and while accountants on average expect a [...]