Arlberg becomes Austria’s largest ski area thanks to a newly opened £37.5m cable-car system. We take it for a test drive. December 1, 2017 As I pulled up outside my hotel in Lech, a very overweight fox ambled across the road in front of our coach. I took it as a sign of good things to come. I were in Lech to enjoy some early season skiing and although the Alps had experienced one of the lowest December snowfalls [...]
Just Eat faces a tall order – it needs to keep delivering for its investors if it’s to be number one in the £9.9bn takeaway sector December 1, 2017 Just Eat delivered more than just takeaways last month. It not only set a new Guinness world record for the largest human image of a pizza but also received the green light to gobble up rival Hungryhouse. But the cherry on the cake for Just Eat was joining the FTSE 100 this week with a [...]
As the first residents move into Television Centre, a new era is beginning for the BBC’s former home in west London November 28, 2017 When BBC Television Centre in White City, west London, was opened by the Queen in 1961, it was described by then director general Gerald Butler as “the largest, best equipped and most carefully planned factory of its kind.” Rather than goods, this building would manufacture culture and, at the time, it was the most ambitious [...]
Patisserie Valerie’s parent company is hungry for acquisitions, says chairman Luke Johnson November 27, 2017 Luke Johnson, the casual dining sector veteran and executive chairman of Patisserie Holdings, has told City A.M. that his business is currently hungry for acquisitions. Patisserie Holdings, which owns cafe chains Patisserie Valerie, Druckers, Philpotts, Baker & Spice and Flour Power City, revealed in results today that it had £21m of cash on its balance [...]
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 [...]