Why there’s some rot you don’t want to stop May 26, 2015 Rarely is the term “rot” a good thing when it comes to food. Cheese is the obvious exception, while dry-aged beef and fermented foods such as miso and sauerkraut also prove that mould can be tasty. Similarly, rotten grapes are typically discarded in the vineyard or removed on a sorting table rather than given the [...]
Slip in consumer confidence despite retail sales growth – London Report May 25, 2015 DATA on GDP growth, consumer confidence and house prices are due out this week, and today sees the release of the CBI Distributive Trades Survey. The CBI’s research is expected to show robust retail sales growth in May. GDP growth in the first quarter is likely to be revised up to 0.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter [...]
Travel caterer SSP serves maiden dividend after booking a profit May 21, 2015 TRAVEL caterer SSP yesterday handed shareholders its maiden dividend since floating on the London stock market last year, as it reported a surge in profits. SSP, which owns and runs franchises in airports and train stations for retailers including Marks & Spencer, said operating profit rose by 28 per cent to £25.2m in the six [...]
Clicks vs bricks is gone: Even savvy e-commerce firms need to do both May 21, 2015 The retail industry is in a state of flux. Consumers and technology are driving fundamental changes. And now, the line between in-store and online is increasingly blurred. When online shopping began to gain popularity, the future of retail was painted by numerous commentators as being a battle: clicks versus bricks. But recent events [...]
Royal Institute of British Architects awards the gongs for the year’s best cutting edge building designs May 21, 2015 If you work in London, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to great architecture. Whether we’re renaming iconic office buildings like The Gherkin, dining in converted churches in the East End or catching a train from an 18th century masterpiece, we take our superb architectural blend of the contemporary and the historic for granted. [...]
Focus on Poplar: There’s good reason it’s getting so popular, you know May 21, 2015 It hasn’t always been so popular to live in Poplar. Its postcode, E14, has held the dubious honour of being the most unequal in the UK, as its East End estates sit a stone’s throw away from the shimmering towers of Canary Wharf. It’s now best known in the nation’s mindset as the impoverished setting [...]
UK national rail strike: Which train routes are affected, will my ticket be valid, when will the strike take place? All your Network Rail bank holiday walkout questions answered May 21, 2015 UPDATE 2.45pm: The RMT has followed the TSSA union in "suspending" its strike . Things are not going well for Network Rail: having tried everything in its arsenal to prevent a planned strike by workers in the RMT union over pay and jobs, yesterday it resorted to sending threatening legal letters. Not exactly a sign of power. As [...]
Marks & Spencer smartens up: Marc Bolland says turnaround plan is finally working as profit rises May 20, 2015 Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland was cautiously optimistic yesterday that the high street stalwart had turned a corner towards recovery, as the retailer posted its first profit rise in four years. The retailer, which has been battling to revive its clothing arm, reported a 6.1 per cent rise in pre-tax profits to [...]
London’s property boom lifts value of Great Portland’s estate May 20, 2015 Great Portland Estates (GPE) yesterday reported an 18 per cent surge in the value of its portfolio over the year, thanks to London’s booming property market. The developer’s net asset value per share rose by 24.6 per cent to 709p over the year to 31 March while profit before tax was up 17.4 per cent [...]
City Moves for 20 May 2015 | Who’s switching jobs May 19, 2015 EY The professional services firm has appointed Andrew Penny as senior advisor to its real estate corporate finance team. Penny has a wide range of experience, and was formerly global co-head of real estate investment banking at JP Morgan. National Counties Building Society Rodger Hughes has been appointed chairman of the Epsom-based building society. He [...]