Pizza Hut ready to serve up super size £40m UK and Ireland expansion May 10, 2016 Fast food giant Pizza Hut Delivery is planning to serve up a £40m expansion in the UK and Ireland over the next four years that will create at least 3,000 new jobs. By 2020 the pizza firm is planning to launch 200 new takeaway stores, of which around one in four will take the Pizza [...]
The blockchain payments app: How Circle plans to change the way we spend – and think about money May 9, 2016 You don't pay to send someone an email – to send information from one place to another. And merchants typically pick up the cost of actually making the transaction when you buy something online. And the founders of Circle – the free, blockchain-enabled payments app – don’t think you should pay to send money, either. [...]
The Long Weekend review: Taxidermy hares and a Scandi-cool spa invigorate The Wild Rabbit hotel in the Cotswolds May 6, 2016 The weekend With the gentle Cotswolds hills and honey-coloured villages on your doorstep, you can spend entire days out exploring this beautiful part of the UK. Then bed down in The Wild Rabbit, a modern day inn perfect for cityfolks looking for a manicured version of the country break. Where? The village of Kingham is [...]
Reviving the Mary Celeste of property: Wandsworth’s most astonishing home May 5, 2016 When city recruiter Susan Cuff first viewed her home in Wandsworth, it was a bit like a residential Mary Celeste. Abandoned 18 months previously, there was still washing in the machine and uneaten food lying around. But underneath the debris of bachelors gone by, she saw there was potential for it to be an incredible [...]
The £18 million view: designer Martin Kemp on overlooking the Tower of London May 5, 2016 Of course the money shot is the view,” says interior designer to the world’s squillionaires, Martin Kemp, pointing out the vista of the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Thames at close quarters. I can spare a glance out of the window, but turn back to the job at hand of stroking my way [...]
Derwent London signs up credit card giant to White Collar Factory as first quarter lettings jump May 5, 2016 Derwent London said it has let two more floors at its White Collar Factory scheme in east London to credit card company Capital One. The announcement comes as the developer shrugs off uncertainty in the market to post a strong quarterly update. FTSE 250 constituent Derwent said Capital One has pre-let 29,500 square feet in the scheme's 16-storey tower [...]
TripAdvisor shares tank after it misses expectations May 4, 2016 Travel website TripAdvisor’s revenue has decreased to $352m, a drop of $11m or three per cent, during the first quarter of 2016. TripAdvisor reported earnings per share of $0.32 in the first quarter, $0.14 less than the analyst estimate of $0.46. Shares of the travel business fell 7.73 per cent to $58.25 in after-hours trading on Wednesday. [...]
Food travel giant SSP gobbles up £280m Abu Dhabi airport contract May 4, 2016 Travel caterer SSP has a £280m contract to run three outlets inside a food court at Abu Dhabi International airport, paving the way for further expansion in the Middle East. SSP said the three units in the airport's new Midfield Terminal Building will feature 17 different international and local brands although it didn't disclose the names. The [...]
Cheers to that: Britain is now the “beating heart” of the global wine trade May 3, 2016 Britain has become the "beating heart" and a "giant" of the global wine industry, according to research from the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). We'll drink to that. Britain's wine trade has more than doubled in the last decade and has become a key hub for importing and distributing wine to 124 countries across [...]
Costa Coffee owner Whitbread orders a salad to go after buying a £6.8m stake in Pure May 3, 2016 Whitbread, the hospitality company behind Costa Coffee and restaurants including Beefeater Grill, is balancing out its diet after buying a 49 per cent stake in a healthy food-to-go chain for £6.8m. Pure, which was founded by entrepreneur Spencer Craig in 2009, has eight outlets serving up salads and wraps to health-conscious commuters in locations including Moorgate and Soho. Craig said [...]