QUAFFER’S CORNER October 3, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT ICOOKED a curry on the weekend, which made me think about choosing wine to accompany spicy food. It’s easy to fall back on the old standby of beer, and I often do (Franziskaner Weissbier from Bavaria, usually) but there are some easy guidelines that will help make your [...]
Brisbane: still surfing, sun, and lots of fun October 2, 2011 NOT so long ago, Brisbane was little more than the country cousin to Sydney and Melbourne, and the gateway to Surfers Paradise and Noosa. However, this city, the third largest in Australia, and the capital of Queensland, is transforming into a fast-paced modern metropolis. Brisvegas, as it is affectionately known, is making a name for [...]
ANALYST | OF THE YEAR September 21, 2011 JEFF CURRIE GOLDMAN SACHS Goldman’s global head of commodities research was a near-unanimous choice from the judges, because his calls on oil have the power to move markets. He has also advised governments in the US, Europe and Russia. SHORTLIST Peter Davey, Standard Bank Simon Ward, Henderson Global Investors Kevin Cammack, Cenkos Securities Jenny Barker, [...]
Obama looks to raise cash from the rich September 18, 2011 US President Barack Obama is expected to unveil plans for a new tax on millionaires today – but political rivals are already calling the proposal “class warfare”. Obama is preparing to set out an extra levy on those earning more than $1m a year, dubbed the Buffett Tax following billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s recent call [...]
Dixons cuts costs and vows to pay £150m bond on time September 7, 2011 DIXONS is cutting more costs and trimming investment plans to counter a drop in sales and profit margins as shoppers rein in spending. Europe’s second-largest electricals retailer and home to the Currys and PC World chains said it would cut an extra £10m of costs and limit capital spending to £100m, down from an original [...]
Dixons sales fall as shoppers cut back September 7, 2011 Dixons , Europe’s second-biggest electricals retailer, has posted a drop in first-quarter underlying sales and profit margins as shoppers reined in spending on discretionary items amid rising prices and austerity measures. The group, which owns the Currys and PC World chains, has said sales at stores open at least a year fell seven per cent [...]
Get smart for Autumn August 25, 2011 IT hasn’t been much of a summer, but with the cold and rain this week it definitely seems to be time to start thinking about that autumn wardrobe. This year’s autumn/winter trends are subtly inspired by the masculine side of 1970s fashion (as opposed to the pimped-up, checks ‘n’ flares side). “The trick is to [...]
Milking Cowes Week: How to get most out of world’s best regatta August 3, 2011 World-beating sailor lends her expertise ahead of the Isle of Wight extravaganza PREPARATION comes in all sorts of guises. As an Olympic Sailor I spent four years preparing for one event; our thoughts encompassed all possibilities and we prepared and practised for everything that was in our control. Walking around Cowes last weekend it was [...]
Rivers, Buddhas and temples: SE Asia minus the beaches July 31, 2011 SOUTH East Asia is intimidatingly rich in temptations, fascinations and possibilities. As someone who had never been, and had ten days for the inaugural journey, I had to make some tough decisions. The first one was to steer clear of the beaches and focus on culture and rivers. This may sound a bit unsexy. But [...]
Dixons wins deal with Harrods July 25, 2011 STRUGGLING electricals retailer Dixons – which has been trying to find a way to offset falling sales – has signed up to run the consumer electronics section at Harrods. The unlikely partnership comes after a spat in which Dixons directly tried to steal customers from Harrods by encouraging people to browse at the upmarket store [...]