Ikea’s global profit is up 20 per cent for 2016 with growth in China December 7, 2016 Swedish furniture retailer Ikea Group reported global profit rose 20 per cent following its fifth year of sales growth in the UK last month and rapid growth in China. The figures Total sales for the financial year reached €34.2bn (£29.1bn), up 7.1 per cent from last year, and sales grew in 27 out of 28 markets. China was one of [...]
Our resident chef Mark Hix on the perfect way to cook kale, our generation’s hipster superfood December 6, 2016 As a kid my grandmother used to serve curly kale every winter but like a lot of her home cooking, she’d completely crucify it. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't a bad cook per se, but like most people of her generation, she didn't really know when to turn the gas off. There was just [...]
Interiors: Embark on a ‘tipples and trees’ tour to get festive inspiration from London’s hotels and restaurants December 5, 2016 Now the merry month of December is upon us it’s time to fire up the festive spirit and prepare to entertain descending hordes of relatives. But what to do with them? A Christmas-themed afternoon tea or a festive cocktail at one of London’s landmark venues is a surefire way to impress. This time of year, [...]
Focus On Maida Vale: Why financiers and celebrities flock to the birthplace of the London mansion block December 5, 2016 The London mansion block has never been so popular, yet there are only a finite number in existence. While many luxury property developers are seeking to reinvent them for the 21st century for a tidy profit, the birthplace of the original – the real white-stuccoed deal – is still Maida Vale in north west London. [...]
Fortnum & Mason announces record results with sales and profit up December 5, 2016 Luxury retailer Fortnum & Mason has announced record sales and profit growth of more than 25 per cent for the third year in a row, and revealed that it has increased trading with domestic UK brands over the past 12 months. The iconic British brand reported profits of £6.2m, up 27 per cent compared to [...]
Feeling peckish? You can now get a Just Eat takeaway delivered by a robot December 1, 2016 The robots are coming. But wait, only to deliver your takeaway. Just Eat has teamed up with Starships Technologies to deliver its first takeaway meal by a robot. It follows five months of "exhaustive testing" in Greenwich, and the pilot programme will see local customers in the area received automated deliveries So fear not if [...]
One of the UK’s largest breweries just crowdfunded £2.5m, proving the people want craft beer November 30, 2016 The UK's second largest craft brewery, Innis & Gunn, just doubled its crowdfunding target, allowing it to accelerate growth and open its first bar-restaurant in England a year ahead of schedule. The Scottish brewery raised nearly £2.5m on the investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube in a campaign launched on 1 November. The company had sold 4.79 per cent of its share capital to 2,012 investors at the [...]
Leave the beach behind and trek Europe’s prettiest mountain range, the Dolomites November 30, 2016 Sun seekers might disagree, but in my opinion there are few better places to spend the summer than the Alps, where you can find dozens of activities to suit everyone from uber athletes to Uber passengers. My family needed a little convincing too, before they’d agree to spend their holidays in the mountains rather than [...]
Spitfire owner lands five new pubs and draws down £25m from lenders November 29, 2016 The brewer best known for its Spitfire ale has agreed to splash-out £12m for five high-end Kent boozers. Shepherd Neame will buy Village Green Restaurants from Alex and Helen Bensley, who run the pubs in and around the garden of England. The five premises are no slouches, raking in an average of more than a million pounds of [...]
Planning permission could soon be granted for the City of London’s highest skyscraper at 1 Undershaft November 27, 2016 A decision on planning permission for what would be the City’s tallest building is expected soon from the City of London Corporation. If it is approved, the tower at 1 Undershaft will be situated at the heart of the City’s cluster of skyscrapers, slotting between the Leadenhall Building and 30 St Mary Axe – known [...]