City of London braces for coronavirus: Banks, insurers and audit firms activate contingency plans March 5, 2020 With health secretary Matt Hancock warning that the UK should prepare for “widespread transmission” of coronavirus, City of London firms have braced for impact. Banks, insurers, law firms and accountancy giants have dusted off contingency plans, instituted travel bans and cancelled events to try and mitigate the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. HSBC and Deloitte [...]
Italy coronavirus: Schools and colleges will close for two weeks March 4, 2020 Italy is considering closing all schools and colleges in a bid to stem the outbreak of the coronavirus as the country’s death toll jumps to 107. The Ansa news agency reported that the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte decided to close all educational institutions for two weeks because of the rapid spread of the coronavirus. Italy’s [...]
Working Lunch: Townsend in Whitechapel Gallery is a solid new cultural dining option March 4, 2020 Each week we pick the best places to wine and dine your favourite clients. WHAT IS IT? The Whitechapel Gallery has converted its ground-floor cafe into a more serious dining space, creating an intimate, light-filled restaurant serving modern British cuisine that sits somewhere between “casual lunch” and “proper dinner”. It’s named after Charles Harrison Townsend, [...]
Swim with manta rays and dine on lobster curries at the Maldivian island resort of Vakkaru March 3, 2020 Any island resort staffer can say “welcome to paradise”, but when it comes from a seaplane pilot with no shoes on it feels more like a religious ritual than a tired cliche. It’s contagious, as the staff at Maldivian island resort Vakkaru can vouch for, guests – certainly me – ditch the formality and stress [...]
Focus on Isle of Dogs: Dog days are over for once-neglected peninsula as new development abounds February 28, 2020 There are two questions that residents of the Isle of Dogs are often asked. First, why is it called the Isle of Dogs? The boring explanation is that it’s a corruption of a more sensible water-related name like the Isle of Ducks. The grim one is that it was so called because of the sheer [...]
FTSE 100 steadies after two days of steep losses February 26, 2020 The FTSE 100 steadied after dropping to a 13-month low earlier in the day after two days of heavy losses prompted by growing fears over a coronavirus pandemic. London’s blue-chip stock index fell 1.6 per cent to below 7,000 points to 6,903, its lowest point since February 2019, before recovering 0.1 per cent. The FTSE [...]
Weekly Grill: Hide’s Josh Angus on why you should never climb into an oven and why he’s traumatised by tofu February 26, 2020 Who are you and what do you do? My name is Josh Angus and I’m head chef at Hide on Piccadilly. I run a team of around 50 chefs serving 300 guests a day. Hide has been open for 16 months and since opening we have won numerous awards for our food and wine. We won [...]
Coronavirus: Guinness owner Diageo warns on £200m profit hit February 26, 2020 Drinks manufacturing giant Diageo has warned it expects to take a profit hit of up to £200m due to the impact of coronavirus, which has seen bars and restaurants close and events cancelled across Asia. Diageo – the owner of Guinness, Johnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka – this morning said group organic sales could [...]
The Restaurant Group scraps dividend and eyes 90 site closures February 26, 2020 The Restaurant Group has suspended its dividend as it announced plans to ramp up Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito site closures to focus on its Asian-fusion chain Wagamama. The figures Restaurant Group’s shares dipped 3.1 per cent in early trading as it announced it will scrap its dividend to focus on a new strategic plan. [...]
Frankie & Benny’s owner The Restaurant Group to outline site closure plans February 24, 2020 The Restaurant Group – which owns Chiquito, Frankie & Benny’s and Wagamama – is set to announce site closures as it publishes its full-year results this week. Chief executive Andy Hornby – who joined the casual dining company in August – is expected to announce which underperforming sites will be closed. Out-of-town retail park locations, [...]