Bill’s closes 14 restaurants after pandemic pressure December 13, 2021 Restaurant chain Bill’s has shut 14 loss-making venues in its financial year after the pandemic hammered sales. In accounts filed to Companies House, the firm stated it made a £62m turnover for the 53 weeks to 3 January 2021. This was down on the £127m for the 52 weeks to 29 December 2019. The restaurant [...]
GDP growth falls short of expectations, inching 0.1 per cent higher in October December 10, 2021 The UK’s economic growth inched just 0.1 per cent in October, according to the latest figures. The figure remains 0.5 per cent below its pre-pandemic level, the Officer for National Statistic found, falling short of economist and analyst expectations after experts had forecast a 0.4 per cent increase. Construction and hospitality were among the hardest [...]
All Hale: why this Tottenham area is a new residential superstar December 8, 2021 Tottenham Hale in North London’s borough of Haringey is part of one of the largest “opportunity areas” in the capital, receiving £1bn worth of new development and a £30m upgrade to Tottenham Hale station. “This is a really exciting time for Tottenham Hale,” says Tom Goodall, head of residential at property developer and investor Argent [...]
The last supper: Actor Nathaniel Parker on his dream final meal December 8, 2021 I prefer the sound of a “final meal on Earth” to “Last Supper”, as otherwise it feels a bit too much like the night before an execution. I also like it because if I was religious, I’d feel as if I was going on to somewhere else, which would be nice. My final meal on [...]
The big cheese: How old food can sell for crazy prices at auction December 7, 2021 It took two hours for bidding to draw to a close, but it was worth it. The 2.62kg Cabrales cheese left the auction tent at the 2018 Cabrales Cheese Competition to rapturous applause. Cream of the crop, the cheese had caught the attention of 15 restaurateurs from around Spain, each bidder hell-bent on blessing their [...]
Franco Manca owner Fulham Shore toasts doubled revenue December 6, 2021 The company behind pizza chain Franco Manca and The Real Greek saw its revenues jump 103 per cent in the first six months of its financial year to £39.5m, up from £19.9m a year earlier. Its half year sales were also 10 per cent ahead of its £36m revenues in the same period in 2019, [...]
Loungers beats pre-pandemic sales as customers flock back and expansion picks up pace December 1, 2021 Bar and restaurant group Loungers has beaten pre-pandemic sales as customers flocked back to its sites following the lifting of Covid restrictions earlier this year, the company has revealed. Revenues hit £102m in the six months to October 3 with a pre-tax profit of £12.8m as bosses opened 12 new sites and aims to open [...]
Omicron optimism: Covid anxiety attack on the financial markets shows signs of alleviating November 29, 2021 The anxiety attack on the financial markets shows signs of alleviating, as investors pause for breath and spot signs of optimism while scientists race to establish the severity of the new variant. The FTSE 100 opened up 1 per cent in early trading, recovering some of Friday’s dramatic losses and the FTSE 250 was 1.5 [...]
Property of the week: Lyndale House, a slice of the country in North London November 29, 2021 In the heart of Highgate Hill, with it’s village community set on the edge of stunning garden oasis Waterlow Park, sits a Grade II listed period property with charm in abundance. This period property is the perfect example of a Queen-Anne style home, and it’s a property where the beauty is in the details. Decorated [...]
Rising insurance costs could be ‘last straw’ for struggling small businesses November 24, 2021 Half of small and mid-sized UK businesses have seen increases in pandemic-related exclusions in their cover, according to broker Marsh, as insurers try to stop their £1bn bill from mounting further.