Merlin gets set for stock market rollercoaster October 20, 2013 ALTON Towers owner Merlin Entertainments is closing in on plans to launch its long-awaited stock market debut after the roaring success of the Royal Mail float and temporary fixing of the US debt ceiling cleared its path to a listing. Merlin, which is co-owned by private equity titans Blackstone and CVC Capital Partners, is due [...]
Inside Track: Let’s not overstate London’s appeal for tech flotations October 17, 2013 There’s nothing wrong at all with recently-floated technology companies like Macromac, Netscientific or Centralnic. These three groups, plus 18 others, have all floated on the London stock market over the course of the year and form part of the backdrop to a generally improving climate for flotations and fund-raisings in this city. But they do [...]
Restaurant review: Urban Meadow October 15, 2013 RESTAURANT Urban Meadow, 150 Bayswater, W2 4RT Tel: 020 7792 7066 FOOD Three Stars VALUE Five Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with drinks: £50 THIS is one of those columns restaurant critics write after they’ve been on holiday, where they bang on about the nice places they’ve been eating while you’ve been stuck [...]
Going West: London welcomes a new FX brokerage October 13, 2013 Annabel Palmer meets the founders of Monex Capital, who are targeting tech savvy traders DESPITE the Asian Development Bank lowering its growth forecasts for emerging nations in the region earlier this month, European brokers are launching Asian-based subsidiaries in droves (forex and commodities brokerage MIG Bank, for example, opened a Hong Kong arm this year). [...]
Blown away by Dorset October 13, 2013 Head to a hotel on the south coast for wholesome activites, fresh salty air and inexpensive fine dining OF ALL the pastimes that governments enjoy, most involve splashing our cash around, telling us what to do, and chucking in a dose of mild nationalism to make it seem a bit more palatable. Little surprise, then, [...]
Just Eat’s sales sizzle as more restaurants join October 10, 2013 ONLINE takeaway network Just Eat enjoyed a 77 per cent jump in revenues last year, as 11,000 more restaurants joined its online service, taking its client list up to 32,000. Just Eat Group Holdings, which allows hungry customers to browse multiple takeaway menus, said it generated £59.8m across all of its businesses, £41m of which [...]
Before and after: Alex Dymoke embarks on a transformation October 8, 2013 I’M NOT sure I have any muscles on my abdomen. I’ve certainly never seen any and it strikes me as an arrogant leap of faith to assume they exist. From the outside you wouldn’t be able to guess I’m so out of shape. At 6ft 1, I look quite skinny if I wear the right [...]
SUPERMODELS AND SHY TYCOONS LAUNCH THE SCOTCH AND JALOUSE | City A.M. October 7, 2013 TWO PARTIES in one evening. Just a usual Thursday night out for supermodel Kate Moss, who started last Thursday evening at Arjun Waney’s Arts Club before moving on to the re-opening of The Scotch the other side of Piccadilly in St James’s. The Capitalist had been informed that the venue’s opening night would be a [...]
Consumer firms to spark next flotation frenzy October 6, 2013 BRITISH department store House of Fraser is on the cusp of appointing advisers to explore plans for a float of the chain, amid a resurgence in consumer–focused brands looking to list in London. The chain is thought to have held a beauty parade of investment banks, laying plans for a £300m float after the Christmas [...]
You don’t need snow to have fun in Haute Savoie October 6, 2013 Savoie Mont Blanc in France is famous for its winter sports but it’s worth checking out all year FOR winter skiing in Haute Savoie, it always pays to put in a little training. Off-season trips, it turns out, require some preparation too: increase wine consumption in the weeks preceding; swap to elasticated trousers to allow [...]