Zeroing in on the competition: This is what Coca-Cola’s new ad campaign tells us about the drinks market July 19, 2016 Coca-Cola's announcement that it is pouring £10m into its newly-branded Zero Sugar variant is proof of two things. First, that the carbonated soft drinks market is alive and well. Second, that it is recognising changing consumer and industry attitudes towards health and sugar. But does this huge investment reveal the big brands are concerned about [...]
Cheers! Now Deliveroo’s delivering wine, beer and cocktails July 19, 2016 Drinkers rejoice: food delivery startup Deliveroo is expanding beyond the simple delivery of food and into into takeaway alcohol, including wine, craft beer and cocktails. The startup backed by top investors has inked new deals with Majestic Wines and Brewdog among others to bring the tipples straight to people's doors after testing out the drinks-only and [...]
Heading to the Olympics? This pop-up member’s club is a British haven amid Rio’s frantic last-minute preparations July 15, 2016 The London 2012 Olympics saw an influx of well-heeled socialites arriving in the capital looking for a place to party. It’s not just Usain Bolt and Jessica Ennis-Hill who soak up the Olympic limelight: the greatest show on earth is an excuse to see and be seen, to flash the cash and ogle the beautiful [...]
Glasgow’s Dakota Deluxe hotel review: a Hollister-hip new venture from the kingpin of Scottish hotels July 15, 2016 Steve Dinneen takes a break in his former hometown of Glasgow, where he finds a much improved hotel scene and restaurants that are as good as ever. The weekend: For many southerners, a weekend break to Scotland involves a trip to Edinburgh Castle or a few rounds at Gleneagles. And while these are both perfectly [...]
Irvine Sellar’s £1bn “Shard of West London” skyscraper just lost 51 storeys – it’s now the Cube of West London July 15, 2016 Remember the so-called "Shard of West London", the £1bn, 65-storey tower in Paddington planned by Shard developer Irvine Sellar? That's just received a bit of a downgrade, after the company behind it unveiled new plans for an office block – which is 51 storeys smaller. The newly-styled, 14-storey Paddington Cube, on the site of a former Royal Mail [...]
Franco Manca pizzas serve up profit rise for owner Fulham Shore July 14, 2016 Sourdough pizza chain Franco Manca’s expansion drove a profit rise at owner group Fulham Shore last year. Fulham Shore, which also owns The Real Greek and Bukowski Grill, reported operating profit of £3.2m and revenues of £29.5m for the 12 months to 27 March. Seven new Franco Manca pizzerias opened in the period and a [...]
Alcohol study finds a small tax could prevent thousands of admissions to A&E department caused by violent injuries July 12, 2016 A university research team has proposed a small alcohol tax could cut the number of A&E visits caused by violent injury by more than 6,000 a year. However, the government has said it is not planning to pursue any further taxes on alcohol. The Cardiff University team, writing in the journal Injury Prevention, said putting a [...]
Consumer spending rises as Shoppers shrug off Brexit vote but uncertainty lingers July 12, 2016 Shoppers have so far shrugged off Britain's vote to leave the European Union, but its future impact remains mired in uncertainty. Consumer spending swelled 3.1 per cent on an annual basis in the second quarter, according to data from Barclaycard, as the last two months helped offset a less impressive performance in April. Read more: Investor confidence index drops [...]
All the ingredients for growth: D&D London’s Des Gunewardena explains how the restaurant group is building a platform for long-term expansion July 11, 2016 Why has the City become such a vibrant restaurant destination? It’s two things, says Des Gunewardena, chairman and chief executive of D&D London, owner of such Square Mile stalwarts as Coq D’Argent, South Place Hotel, the Paternoster Chop House, and Madison. “A lot of people have started living in East London rather than West and [...]
Adarsh Radia and new business partner Ignacio Macias are matchmaking startups and corporates July 11, 2016 If you've already been a fund manager and serial entrepreneur, how do you seek a fresh perspective on work – and life? For Adarsh Radia, who’s ex-Merrill Lynch and co-founder of popular Indian restaurant Dishoom (you may have queued to get in), the answer was to enrol himself at the Singularity University, a Silicon Valley think [...]