The Notebook: Andy Silvester on the Tory Mayoral race, a new must-read and a tremendous lunch spot June 15, 2023 The Tories appear to have done a real botch-job of selecting their candidate for next year’s mayoral election. Most who were paying attention expected the final three or four to be a combination of Paul Scully, the minister for London and Sutton MP, social media star and former adviser Samuel Kasumu, techie and diplomat Daniel [...]
The Square Mile and Me with Michael Barrington-Hibbert: ‘Headhunted’ at the market stall to a love for Leadenhall June 15, 2023 Each week we ask a City figure to take a trip down memory lane. Today, it’s Michael Barrington-Hibbert, founder and CEO of executive search firm Barrington-Hibbert Associates What was your first job? When I was 13 years old, I worked at a fruit and veg stall in Wembley after school which led to me being [...]
Shaftsbury integration ‘progressing well’ in vote of confidence for booming London west end June 14, 2023 Shaftesbury delivered a confident update to the markets, as a return to international tourism and its £4.9bn merger with Capco helped boost activity London’s West-end. In March last year, the two West-end landlords merged, meaning that Shaftesbury who owns land around Soho and Capco who owns land around Covent Garden now operate under one ownership. [...]
400 jobs saved in Dirty Martini deal June 13, 2023 Some 400 hospitality jobs have been saved thanks to Night Cap bar group’s acquisition of Dirty Martini and Tuttons Brasserie following a pre-pack administration sale for close to £5m. The deal includes five Dirty Martini bars in London and five across Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Cardiff. Tuttons Brasserie, a restaurant in Covent Garden, which [...]
Yo! Sushi owner sold to Japanese food giant in £500m deal June 13, 2023 The business behind restaurant chain Yo! Sushi has been bought by one of Japan’s biggest food companies in a deal worth almost half a billion pounds. Mayfair Equity Partners said it sold its stake in Snowfox Group to Zensho Holdings for $621m (£494m). The deal sees the Japanese giant gain a company which owns several [...]
Tuscany: Stunning Villa Lena is where you hang out with artists poolside June 11, 2023 PICTURE THE SCENE… In Tuscany, my bathroom window looks out onto what appears to be a cartoon approximation of a magical kingdom. Hillsides fold towards a horizon seemingly so far away it cannot be properly seen. The light splashes differently onto each copse of trees, tightly gathered like fistfuls of hair. The culmination of the [...]
The Notebook: Globalisation, vertical farming and indy cafes June 8, 2023 The Notebook is where interesting people say interesting things. Today it’s Edwin Morgan from vertical farmers Harvest London. Globalisation, as we once knew it, is dead”, the shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves boldly proclaimed to an audience in Washington last week. The speech was as much about keeping Labour in the news as it was a [...]
Exclusive: Tao Group to open its first UK venture at new Marylebone hotel June 6, 2023 Hakkasan owner Tao Group Hospitality will launch its first new UK restaurant at the new The BoTree hotel in Marylebone, which is set to open its doors this summer. The hospitality offering will include flagship restaurant Lavo, which will serve “coastal Italian fare” as well as a more casual dining option and bars. New York-based [...]
Blacklock founder Gordon Ker on the rise of Canary Wharf May 31, 2023 I’ve wanted to open a restaurant in Canary Wharf for a while. I love the rich history of the nearby Docklands and Billingsgate Market, the diverse demographic of office goers and local residents that live and work there. But going from an old basement brothel in Soho or a furniture factory in Shoreditch to a [...]
Ben Elton interview: Woke comedy and the scourge of individualism May 30, 2023 In a rundown rehearsal room opposite a housing estate in Oval, Ben Elton is spilling political truths in sharp, disarmingly blunt sentences. He’s been talking for almost fifteen minutes, nearly half the time I have with him, but I’ve barely asked him a question. Aged 63, Elton still fizzes with energy. He talks on three [...]