Fans will grow weary if player burnout continues in sport October 21, 2024 With demands on players like nothing seen previously, is potential player burnout also going to have an impact on fans too? It’s a surprising thing that during a cost-of-living crisis, with households struggling and economies straining, I find myself sympathising with Rodrigo Hernández Cascante. The £200,000-a-week Manchester City midfielder, better known as Rodri, last month [...]
A lack of loyalty eats into Deliveroo and Just Eat’s market share October 17, 2024 This morning’s Deliveroo results position it for long term growth reflecting the evolving demand for takeaways amid shifting consumer behaviour. A six per cent increase in Gross Transaction Value (GTV) in its Q3 update comes as competition and changing market conditions continue to create challenges across the industry, with rivals such as Just Eat Takeaway [...]
This trip to Languedoc turned me into a wine snob October 17, 2024 I’m not a wine guy. The oenophile subjects alcohol to a level of scrutiny that, to me, feels antithetical to the loosening joys of boozing. I enjoy wine. I prefer wine that tastes nice. But to theorise about it, to intellectualise it, to hold it to the light and inspect its colour, to soliliquise about [...]
The Square Mile and Me: M Restaurants founder Martin Williams on backpack etiquette and mandatory two hour lunches October 17, 2024 Each week we ask a City figure to take a trip down memory lane. Today it’s Martin Williams, CEO of Groucho and founder of M Restaurants on the City staple’s 10th birthday What was your first job? I started working in hospitality when I was sixteen, as a dishwasher in a grotty hotel in North Yorkshire. I [...]
Concern for British high street as sector set for four-fold tax rise in April October 16, 2024 The double effect of inflation-linked tax bumps, as well as the end of business rate relief for consumer-facing firms, will lead to a four-fold tax increase for high street businesses next April, industry bodies have warned. Industry leaders across the board have been increasingly vocal about the need for reform to business rate taxes, and have [...]
Self-care upgrade: The future of travel is about feeling good October 16, 2024 Instead of the usual indulgences of food and drink, travellers are gravitating towards experiences that nourish their well-being.
Just Eat: UK sales growth fails to offset falling orders October 16, 2024 Food delivery company Just Eat has posted a drop in sales as order numbers fell across all regions, but has reiterated its full year guidance. In a third quarter trading update, the London-listed company revealed its total gross transaction value (GTV) fell three per cent to €6.34bn (£5.3bn), down from 6.53bn (£5.46bn) in the year-ago [...]
Let them tax cake! Top accountant gives alternatives to business-bashing tax hikes October 14, 2024 While rumours swirl of potential hikes to Capital Gains Tax and the employer National Insurance rate, one top tax accountant has said the government should look elsewhere instead of targeted business-related taxes. His suggestion: Cake.
Why Panama is an undiscovered wonder for nature lovers October 9, 2024 I spot a cayman a couple of metres away on the umber riverbank. It is as still as a park bench, its jaws wide open. I’m not describing a Porsche Cayman with its bonnet up awaiting a recovery truck, I’m talking about a crocodile with a hungry look in its eyes. It surveys me with [...]
Pasta Evangelists: From ‘pasta le disaster’ to £40m turnover October 9, 2024 After conquering London's pasta takeaway scene, Pasta Evangelists has set its sights on the restaurant industry.