Having his cake and eating it: Patisserie Valerie group sees record profit as pro-Brexit chairman remains confident November 27, 2017 Patisserie Holdings, the parent company of cake cafe chain Patisserie Valerie, has announced record sales and profit today despite challenges in the casual dining sector. The figures The company, which also operates under the Druckers, Philpotts, Baker & Spice and Flour Power City brands, lifted revenue by 9.7 per cent to £114.2m in the year [...]
Holiday Homes: A historic, resort in Switzerland has got some of its mojo back after finding a Qatari buyer November 24, 2017 If anywhere epitomised the glamour of Hollywood in its halcyon days, it was Switzerland’s Bürgenstock Resort, nestling 500 metres above Lake Lucerne. Opening the first hotel in 1873, its reputation peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, when luminaries from across the globe were drawn to this secluded mountain retreat. Back then it wouldn’t elicit so [...]
Focus On Pimlico: Twenty per cent cheaper than its neighbours and still central, house prices are increasing in SW1P November 23, 2017 Pimlico must be pretty quiet at the weekends. It’s been London’s pied a terre hotspot since the mid-Noughties, meaning many of its inhabitants escape the area for their country retreats every Friday night. “A third of homes sold in SW1V so far this year have been bought by a second home owner, more than anywhere [...]
YO! Sushi rolls up deal to acquire 600-branch Bento Sushi for £59m November 20, 2017 British sushi chain YO! Sushi has acquired Bento Sushi, the second-largest sushi chain in North America for $100m Canadian dollars (£59m). The acquisition forms one of the biggest sushi companies outside of Japan, combining Bento’s 600-strong portfolio of sushi bars across the US and Canada with YO!’s 97 owned or franchised restaurants worldwide. Combined sales [...]
Holiday Homes: Here’s how you can own a second home in the countryside without wreaking havoc on rural areas November 16, 2017 A place in the country may be the dream for urbanites who slog, nose-to-armpit, through the London commute every day. But the reality is, the trend for city types buying up country properties is wreaking havoc on rural life. Some towns, such as St Ives in Cornwall, have voted to ban second homes altogether. So, [...]
The Long Weekend: There’s more to Geneva than conference centres, including the La Réserve November 13, 2017 Geneva may be a business capital from Monday to Friday, but there's something for the weekend here too. The weekend: Witness the scrum for hand-luggage space on Friday night flights from Geneva to London City Airport and you’d be forgiven for thinking the city simply kicked its residents out when the international organisations and private [...]
Antonio Carluccio dies: Italian chef and restaurateur passes away aged 80 November 8, 2017 Celebrity chef Antonio Carluccio, the founder of the Carluccio’s restaurant chain, has died at the age of 80, his agent has said. Carluccio founded his eponymous restaurant as an Italian food shop and wholesaler in 1991, before opening the first Carluccio’s Caffe in central London 1999. Carluccio sold his shares in the company to, among [...]
TfL says major Tube upgrades on Northern Line and Jubilee Line cancelled because of unexpected dip in passenger numbers November 8, 2017 Upgrades planned for the Jubilee Line and Northern Line have gone off track due to an unexpected dip in passenger numbers on the Tube, Transport for London (TfL) said today. A fall of around two per cent in Tube numbers has had a significant impact on TfL's five-year business plan, as the Tube is the [...]
This is what it’s like to be a young chef in London, from Michelin trainees to pop-up proteges November 2, 2017 Depending on who you speak to, young chefs are either the rock stars of the 21st century, or the last vestige of a Victorian-style workforce, toiling away in cramped conditions under tyrannical bosses for pay that makes nurses look like millionaires. What’s beyond question is that London is one of the most exciting culinary cities [...]
Mark Hix on the pitfalls of modern technology, from unfortunate autocorrect errors to drug deals gone wrong November 1, 2017 When I first moved to London 30-odd years ago – yes, that long! – communication was limited to land lines, phone boxes and fax. As crude as that sounds now, it was a straightforward, near fool-proof way of getting in touch with people, bar the odd food order being accidentally left on the voicemail of [...]