China is proving a tough market for western brands – here’s the common mistakes that companies keep making April 12, 2019 Last week, the International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2019 growth forecast for the Chinese economy to 6.3 per cent, up from 6.2 per cent. For comparison, the UK economy is only expected to grow 1.2 per cent this year. It’s worth noting these figures, because they highlight why many brands in the UK and elsewhere [...]
Fitness advice: Here’s everything you REALLY need to know about the keto diet April 11, 2019 Atkins. Low fat. Low carb. Alkaline. Intermittent fasting. Paleo. I’ve seen so many fad diets come and go that it’s hard to keep track of them all. Right now the ketogenic diet (keto) is having something of a renaissance, so I thought I’d delve into it. What is a ‘Keto’ diet? Keto is effectively low [...]
Fitness advice: How desk jockey office workers can combat the scourge of sitting, dubbed by some the ‘new smoking’ April 11, 2019 Most of my clients spend the majority of their waking hours at work. This invariably means hours chained behind a desk with very little movement. Throw in relatively poor nutrition and you have a situation where your lifestyle can start to really affect your health. Spread this scenario over many years and problems can grow [...]
Chilango, burrito bonds, and London – the boss of the Mexican food chain talks about the virtues of crowdfunding April 8, 2019 After interviewing Eric Partaker, the co-founder of burrito chain Chilango, he says I should try the food at his elaborately decorated restaurant on Cannon Street. I ask what he recommends, and instead of picking from the regular menu, he suggests I sample the “Noah’s Ark” – a lunch box containing all the meat options. A [...]
If there is something fishy about online influencers, why do we take the bait? April 3, 2019 Social media influencer, Yovana Mendoza, provided an amusing diversion from Brexit last week. The 20-something vlogger built a very lucrative personal brand around veganism. She amassed over 3m followers on YouTube and Instagram by advocating a raw vegan diet and 25-day water fasts. All seemed to be going well until a competitor observed and filmed [...]
More than a quarter of investment bankers say work is damaging their health in ‘disturbing’ review findings April 2, 2019 More than a quarter of investment bankers said their work was damaging their health as the “disturbing” findings of a survey revealed efforts to improve workplace culture have stalled. The Banking Standards Board have raised concerns today over the wellbeing of bank employees in its latest annual review. The survey of more than 72,000 employees from [...]
Focus On Camden: Camden Market turns 45 tomorrow, but how much have house prices changed in this cultural hotspot? March 29, 2019 Today, a London institution reaches proper middle-age. Camden Market – once home to punks and mods, now home to an awful lot of tourists looking for the punks and mods – turns 45 on 30 March 2019. It could be home to you, too, if you can afford it. The average second hand sales price, [...]
Why Reports of Soho’s death have been greatly exaggerated, despite spiralling rents, modern developments and fierce competition March 28, 2019 When Casanova arrived in London in 1763, Soho was his first port of call. It was a place riddled with opium dens and brothels and coffee houses and restaurants, the place you went for cheap rent, good food, great drugs and the best parties. It’s been the go-to place for hedonists and sybarites ever since, [...]
Wolves on course for Europa League, but is becoming the Premier League’s best of the rest worth it – or a poisoned chalice? March 28, 2019 Should Burnley manager Sean Dyche feel moved to dispense some characteristic no-nonsense wisdom to his opposite number this weekend, it might be of the be-careful-what-you-wish-for variety. Occupying the visitors’ dugout at Turf Moor on Saturday will be Nuno Espirito Santo, a rising star whose Wolves team have cut a dash in their first season back [...]
Din Tai Fung Covent Garden review: Precision-engineering these Taiwanese dumplings comes at the cost of soul March 28, 2019 Eight years of writing restaurant reviews has not yet propelled me to culinary stardom. Nobody has asked me to be a judge on Celebrity Bake Off. Masterchef has never called. But I do have one claim to fame: I star in the staff training video for Taiwanese dumpling sensation Din Tai Fung. It happened in [...]