Lloyds sued by customers sold mortgages linked to house prices September 6, 2021 Lloyds Banking Group is being sued by 150 homeowners who were sold mortgages tied to house price appreciation. The case has been brought against the Bank of Scotland, now part of Lloyds, in the High Court. It pertains to shared appreciation mortgages which were sold to thousands of customers in the late 1990s, the product [...]
Banks write-off £99m in loans to hotels and restaurants September 6, 2021 There has been a 65 per cent uptick in write-offs of loans to restaurants and hotels during the pandemic, Banks have written off £99m in the year to March 2021, up from £60m the previous year, according to research by international audit firm Mazars. Write-offs in lending to the leisure sector have began to rise [...]
Shortage of cans leads to scarcity of Diet Coke and Coke Zero products September 2, 2021 A shortage of aluminium cans looms for Coca-Cola’s bottling business in the UK and Europe as its supply chain has come under pressure. It comes as social media users have highlighted a scarcity of Diet Coke and Coke Zero products in recent weeks. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) said today that it has faced “a number [...]
Mayor ‘ready’ to work with Westminster Council to maintain al fresco ‘lifeline’ for hospitality businesses August 27, 2021 Sadiq Khan has said he is “ready” to work with Westminster Council and local residents to maintain traffic-free roads in Soho. Cars have been barred from much of the capital’s oldest entertainment hub since the end of the first Covid-19 lockdown, with bars and restaurants setting up on the pedestrianised streets. But Westminster City Council [...]
Soho House waitlist at ‘record high’ says owner August 27, 2021 The Membership Collective Group (MCG) who own Soho House, has delivered strong growth in Q2 2021 amid surging interest in membership. The company, which raised $402 last month during its New York listing, increased revenues for the second quarter by 118 per cent, taking $124m in the three months to July 04. Revenue from MCG [...]
End of the road: Soho’s al fresco festival to end in September August 26, 2021 It has been one of the few positives to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, but as the virus recedes it appears so will Soho’s al fresco revival. Westminster City Council has informed businesses that traffic will be re-introduced to Soho’s streets at the end of September, bringing to an end the weekend and evening [...]
Jamie Oliver Group revenues fell 20 per cent last year amid lockdown August 21, 2021 Turnover at the Jamie Oliver Group fell by 19.7 per cent to £30m as the company felt the force of the pandemic and lockdowns, according to reports. Pre-tax profits for the group, made up of Jamie Oliver Holdings and Jamie Oliver Licensing, fell by 41.2 per cent to £4.9m according to The Times. The Holdings [...]
The award for London’s least hygienic borough to eat goes to… August 21, 2021 Waltham Forest is the most unhygienic London borough in which to eat, according to new research shared with City A.M. this afternoon. The area tops the list as London’s least hygienic borough for food as 13.2 per cent of its businesses received a rating of 2, meaning improvements are necessary, while 1 which means major [...]
Pig review – Another unexpected Nicolas Cage triumph August 20, 2021 Where do you even begin with Nicolas Cage? Once a respected Oscar winning star, he’s now largely known for two things: his eccentricity, and his output. He makes an awful lot of films, most of which are low budget dross, but every now and again the intense actor makes a movie that succeeds in spite [...]
Elephant & Castle restaurant stripped of licence after ‘machete’ attack August 19, 2021 An Elephant & Castle restaurant has lost its licence to sell alcohol after a man was left with a “possible machete” wound. Southwark Council’s licensing sub-committee revoked El Rincon Costeno’s licence at a virtual hearing on August 10 following an incident in July where police officers were called. Officers were called at around 2.40am on [...]