Revenues soar for Ten Lifestyle as banks splash the cash September 22, 2022 Interest rate hikes have boosted concierge group Ten Lifestyle’s revenues as banks with cash to splurge spend shell out on its services. Ten, whose clients include Coutts and Natwest Black, said net revenue for the year rose 35 per cent to around £46.8m yesterday, beating forecasts of £45m. The UK firm offers preferential access to [...]
Queen mourning period gave tourism and retail big boost, says payment firm SumUp September 22, 2022 The Queen’s death and funeral may have led to 10 days of national mourning, but it also gave Britain a welcome tourism boost, according to payments firm SumUp. SumUp, which provides 4m small and medium-sized firms and other organisations with payment devices, said the industry experienced a spike in the last fortnight. It released data [...]
John Lewis posts £92m loss after ‘unprecedented cost inflation’ September 15, 2022 John Lewis Partnership has posted a £92m loss before tax, blaming shoppers spending less due to inflationary pressures in the first half of the year. This was versus a £69m profit compared to the same period last year, although the partnership said on Thursday it was “not unusual for us” to make a loss in [...]
Desperate small businesses beg government for immediate help as bills spiral out of control September 14, 2022 A range of small businesses said this morning that their energy bills have more than doubled in the past three months alone. Firms are therefore eagerly looking to next week’s expected mini budget for help with soaring bills despite the slight easing in inflation. Lesley So, founder of Derby-based eco-friendly drinks manufacturer So Good Kombucha, [...]
Gaucho boss: Restaurant menus featuring more seasonal produce could be ‘silver lining’ of high inflation September 12, 2022 Restaurants shifting to more seasonal menus may be the “silver lining” of sky-rocketing food prices, Gaucho boss Martin Williams has said. Hospitality venues have been forced to grapple with heightened prices for vegetables and proteins this year, in addition to energy bill increases that bosses say pose an existential threat to the sector. However, the [...]
Wagamama owner enjoys sales rebound but warns of ‘uncertain’ consumer environment September 8, 2022 The owner of the Wagamama restaurant group has seen sales surge in its half-year results, as an “uncertain consumer environment” looms. The Restaurant Group said total sales hit £423.4m in the 26-week period to 3 July, versus £216.8m in 2021. Diners returned to the group’s restaurants and pubs after the easing of Covid restrictions, with [...]
Tasting rare 16-year-old beef at Meatopia food festival September 7, 2022 Thick wafts of smoke cover me in the sweet smell of resin and meat. The translucent shapes of the fumes drift skywards from more than a dozen barbecue grills. I’m at Meatopia on the top floor of Regency-era warehouse Tobacco Dock, a fitting name for the sight I see around me. Halfway along the top [...]
M restaurant founder Martin Williams on his new Canary Wharf venue September 6, 2022 Sitting in the new M restaurant in Canary Wharf, a few days before it officially opens today, is a slightly surreal experience. Overlooking the river in the new, diamond-shaped Newfoundland Quay tower, a row of people in wetsuits are doing laps around the docks below us. As they approach the restaurant they glide past a [...]
Gaucho restaurant boss claims steaks would have to cost £100+ to cover rising energy bills September 6, 2022 The hospitality chief behind the Gaucho steak restaurants has said his venues would have had to charge beyond £100 for steaks in order to cover energy costs if they were not fixed. Restaurant bosses have urged the new Prime Minister Liz Truss to issue emergency support for the sector as some venues grapple with bill [...]
Visit Corfu in the glorious autumn to get closer to the island’s enchanting history September 5, 2022 The flight from Heathrow to Corfu soars above central Europe, then tracks the Adriatic coastline along the Balkans. Waiting to land at the airport beside Corfu Town, the plane circles the island, and looking out the window you’re well aware that you’re closer to Albania than to mainland Greece. The surrounding sea — a brilliant [...]