Apple, Google and Microsoft top list of the 100 most valuable brands September 25, 2017 Apple and Google have once again take the two top spots in a list of the world’s 100 most valuable brands, according to rankings by consultancy group Interbrand. Five UK firms made into into the 2017 best global brands list. These were Burberry, HSBC, Land Rover, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker. This is the fifth consecutive [...]
Deliveroo set to become unicorn with $385m investment September 23, 2017 Deliveroo has secured $385m (£285.3m) in new funding from two US firms. Stateside investors Fidelity and T. Rowe Price have agreed to put money into the UK-based start-up as part of a deal which values the company at over $2bn (£1.48bn), according to Sky News. The investment means rumours of a Deliveroo IPO are likely [...]
Comptoir Libanais losses widen as casual dining sector is served further bad news September 15, 2017 The UK’s casual dining sector received more bad news this morning as the parent of Comptoir Libanais restaurants reported increased pre-tax losses. It follows similar results and warnings from several other businesses in the casual dining sector, all of which have warned on a difficult trading outlook, especially in parts of London. Read more: Out [...]
Waka review, Monument, London: Japanese/Pervian fusion restaurant that’ll brighten up your lunch time | City A.M. September 12, 2017 Waka 39A Eastcheap, EC3M 1DE WHAT? A “grab-and-go” Nikkei (Japanese and Peruvian fusion) restaurant serving top-quality food for prices that makes Itsu seem expensive. You can eat in the 60-cover dining room downstairs, with its minimalist design and regional flourishes, or bag it and go if you prefer to dine al desko. It’s all freshly [...]
The Alchemist owner Palatine closes its largest ever impact investment fund at £100m September 12, 2017 UK-focused private equity firm Palatine, which owns bar and restaurant chain The Alchemist, has closed one of the largest ever impact investment funds at a total of £100m. The fund, which will invest in businesses which have a positive social or environmental impact while also aiming to generate industry-standard returns, exceeded its target of £75m. [...]
Lost for words: The indie bookshop has weathered many storms, from the rise of Amazon to rising rents. But its future has never looked so perilous September 7, 2017 Prospero’s Books stood on Crouch End Broadway for 10 years. I remember it, though not well. The bookshops of my childhood memories are all vaguely similar – they were places where I’d be both happy and bored. To hear locals tell it, there wasn’t any sign that Prospero’s was in trouble. It seemed to plod [...]
Sweet deal: Challenger bank OakNorth lends £21m to Strawberry Star for Wandsworth development September 4, 2017 Property developer Strawberry Star has nabbed a tasty £21m from challenger bank OakNorth, to buy a site in Wandsworth to convert into luxury apartments and office units. Along with a further £4.9m of debt from RM Secured Direct Lending, the firm will use OakNorth’s loan to develop 77 residential units with a combined floor area [...]
The Secret’s out: Secret Escapes to become largest central European holiday and travel deals operator with Czech takeover | City A.M. August 30, 2017 Secret Escapes has become the largest holiday deals operator in central and eastern Europe after snapping up a Prague-based group as part of its “aggressive” growth strategy. The acquisition of Slevomat Group means Secret Escapes will be at break-even on a run-rate basis when the 100 per cent share purchase completes by the end of [...]
Democratising luxury travel: Behind the successful business model of holiday site Secret Escapes July 31, 2017 With 19.5m active members worldwide, at this point it’s safe to say Secret Escapes is living up to its early tagline that it’s “the worst-kept secret in luxury travel”. The company has flourished since launching in 2011 as an online-only, deals-based travel agent offering flash deals with up to 70 per cent off luxury hotel [...]
There’s more to Chinese culture than willow-patterned plates or Ming vases; we explore Beijing’s fast-growing contemporary art scene July 28, 2017 Picture the likes of London’s White Cube, the Saatchi Gallery, and the Serpentine, all transported to, say…Hounslow. Would you be as inclined to head there of a weekend to take in the latest exhibition by Damien Hirst, or Tracey Emin? Serious collectors from around the world as well as art-loving Chinese investors are doing something [...]