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 [...]
Marston’s broad base of casual dining pubs creates new opportunities and steers clear of industry headwinds November 27, 2016 City centres like London are oversaturated with pubs and casual dining restaurants, but investing outside the obvious locations opens up new opportunities, according to Marston's chief executive Ralph Findlay. While the company's city centre pubs are performing well, analysts said Marston's broad geographic base is what will help the company meet the cost pressures and headwinds facing the industry. Instead of [...]
Focus On Peckham: How it went from Only Fools fame to be the first time buyer capital of London November 25, 2016 Whatever you think about 2016, it’s been a billboard year for Peckham. Two large houses near Peckham Rye station sold £2.5m this year, a record price for the area, firmly cementing SE15’s fast-growing reputation as a desirable place to live. It’s not bad for an area that is embedded in the national psyche as the [...]
Property of the Week: Church Grove in Kingston, an enormous Victorian treasure on the edge of a royal park, is on sale for £2.695m November 25, 2016 If you have a conservatory in your house, you’re considered pretty lucky. But few have one that was built in the 19th century that’s secured with a stable door straight from Hampton Court Palace. Church Grove, a six-bedroom house in Kingston-Upon-Thames, does though. Foxtons has been marketing the unusual feature as a “sun room”, but [...]
How hotels and travel websites can fight back against Airbnb’s audacious move into Trips November 24, 2016 For sheer chutzpah, it’s difficult to beat Airbnb’s announcement that is expanding its home sharing platform to offer holistic travel experiences. Not content with disrupting the hotel trade, the hosting service wants to put its live like a local stamp on the global tourism sector, in a pitch for the complete customer journey including ultimately [...]
Bang for your buckwheat – here’s where Londoners say they pay over the odds for dinner November 24, 2016 While there are plenty of budget-friendly food options in England's capital, dining in some restaurants – and in some neighbourhoods – can come with a staggeringly steep price tag. Harden's London Restaurants Guide for 2017, released Wednesday, revealed the results of its 26th annual survey of 7,500 regular restaurant-goers to determine not only which restaurants [...]
Break out the bubbly: Marston’s reports continued profit growth in its premium pubs and beers November 24, 2016 Marston's premium pubs and beers reported profit growth across the board despite cost pressures and economic uncertainty in the sector. The figures The operator of Pitcher & Piano and Revere reported underlying revenue of £905.8m, up seven per cent for the year ended 1 October. Profit before tax increased by seven per cent to £98m. The average profit per pub was up eight [...]