How much is property in Mayfair? May 11, 2018 Last month, Mayfair knocked Knightsbridge off the top spot as the most expensive place to buy in London for the first time in 10 years. Local agent Wetherells, which commissioned the report from Dataloft, puts this dethroning down to a lack of new homes being built in Knightsbridge, whereas that certainly isn’t the case in [...]
Where is my mind? How an ancient psychedelic ritual in the Oaxaca region of Mexico turned into the trip from hell May 3, 2018 It’s a beautiful day in San Jose Del Pacifico, a small village high in the mountains south of Oaxaca City, southern Mexico, where I’m sitting in front of the world’s most frightening cup of tea. Opposite me is Paolo, a 19-year-old “mushroom guide” in whom I have placed an inordinate amount of trust. Are you [...]
As Instagram launches a dedicated @design channel, London designers and crafters talk about the platform’s vast influence May 3, 2018 We speak to five designers and crafters about how the social media platform has changed the way they do business and influenced their work Jono Smart Jono Smart @jonosmart, 84.5k followers Instagram is part of daily life, for sure. I joined when I started my studio three years ago. I wasn’t a full time potter [...]
Irvine Welsh interview: Growing old disgracefully May 3, 2018 The image of a former enfant terrible growing up, moving to a big house by the ocean and living a life of manicured leisure is hardly novel. Even so, hearing Irvine Welsh – former heroin addict, guitarist with punk band The Pubic Lice, and author of Trainspotting – talk about his Miami pilates regime is [...]
Grind coffee bars and restaurants founder David Abrahamovitch talks Instagram, airports, and the City May 1, 2018 Since the company’s inception in 2011, Grind coffee shops and restaurants have captured the imagination of London’s millennials as a place to eat, party and Instagram. Now the brand is set to expand beyond the capital in a deal with travel food operator SSP. City A.M. caught up with Grind’s founder and chief executive David [...]
From huskies to supercars, the wilderness of Finland is transformed into a billionaires’ playground by McLaren May 1, 2018 I’ve been promised 567 horsepower, but first I get to experience the propulsion of seven huskies. I’m scrambling through the forests of northern Finland, hanging onto a rickety two-man sled, zipped up against the Arctic cold. I eventually arrive at McLaren’s kota, a traditional wooden hut 2,000 miles as the crow flies but more realistically [...]
Poundworld to close as many as 100 stores as latest retail CVA is put on the table April 26, 2018 Poundworld has become the latest retailer to consider store closures and rent reductions. Some 100 stores could be shuttered under new plans, according to Sky News. The retailer is set to follow the likes of New Look, Carpetright and Toys R Us with a mechanism called a company voluntary arrangement (CVA). Hundreds of jobs are [...]
Yo! Sushi buys London-based Waitrose supplier Taiko April 23, 2018 Restaurant group YO! Sushi has continued its expansion drive with the acquisition of a London-based Waitrose supplier. Taiko Foods, which employs 220 people in West London, makes sushi for supermarkets including Waitrose. It follows YO!’s acquisition of 600-branch US and Canada restaurant chain Bento Sushi for £59m last year. Details of today’s deal were not [...]
Velaa Private Island review: On this real life Bond island, guests can pilot their own complimentary submarine April 20, 2018 Velaa Private Island is a resort for billionaires, by billionaires. Where else, in addition to the standard private pool and butler, does the hotel provide a personal submarine? Welcome to the real life James Bond island. In true 007 style, as if seeking an exotic rendezvous with Scaramanga, I arrive at sunset by seaplane. Velaa [...]
Principal London and Bloomsbury Hotel revamp to draw in a younger crowd April 20, 2018 We had no brief when we started this project,” says interiors guru Tara Bernerd, showing me around the former grandiose Hotel Russell on Russell Square. It re-opened on Monday but rechristened as the Principal London. Built in 1898 by the English fin-de-siecle architect Charles Fitzroy Doll, its magnificent Renaissance-revival terracotta exterior is Grade II-Listed, along [...]