Lovely Laos: Asia’s unspoilt sanctuary is the perfect couple’s retreat July 5, 2015 I arrived in Laos shortly after sunset with my boyfriend in tow. As the tuk tuk trundled into town I caught my first glimpse of the Mekong, a silver streak beneath blueish mountains, lined by flame-red Poinciana trees. Our first stop was 3 Nagas, a boutique hotel spread across three colonial buildings. With original [...]
Greene King toasts record revenue as retail growth outperforms market July 1, 2015 The figures Pub group Greene King enjoyed record revenue of £1.3bn in the year to the end of March, yet investors were warned not get too carried away as profit before tax fell 2.7 per cent to £168.5m. Read more: Popped corks as Greene King-Spirit pub partnership gets green light The FTSE 250-listed company's retail revenue [...]
Galliford Try awarded £360m Silvertown Way development to build 1,100 homes in Canning Town June 30, 2015 Galliford Try has been awarded a contract by the Greater London Authority to build the £360m Silvertown Way development in Canning Town. The project, which will be delivered through its joint venture with Thames Valley Housing Association, will see Galliford Try build more than 1,100 homes, making it the largest standalone housing scheme the company [...]
Restaurant review: Bill Granger’s third UK venture leaves us cold June 30, 2015 Last week I wrote about how Stevie Parle’s thoroughly brilliant restaurant Craft London is being used as bait to convince people they might want to live next to the O2 Arena. This week, I’m heading up to King’s Cross, which is several life-stages ahead of north Greenwich. Although it’s still being built, King’s Cross [...]
Richard Caring toasts a rise in sales at his restaurant empire June 28, 2015 Richard Caring’s collection of restaurants and nightclubs recorded a rise in sales in 2013. His company, Caprice Holdings, which includes some of London’s most celebrated eateries in the Ivy, Le Caprice, Scott’s and J Sheekey, saw sales rise three per cent to £53.3m in 2013. Its sister company Mark Birley Holdings, which owns Harry’s Bar, [...]
Bill-paying app Velocity raises $12m in venture funding June 28, 2015 A smartphone app which lets diners pay for their meal and drinks without requesting the bill has raised $12m (£7.6m) in one of the largest first funding rounds for a tech business in the UK. Velocity, which was founded by two childhood friends in March 2014, has already signed 300 high end restaurants to [...]
In pictures: The last of the BBC’s landmark satellite dishes has been taken down at the former Television Centre in White City June 26, 2015 The last of the 20 iconic satellite dishes at the BBC's former Television Centre in White City has been taken down as part of the site's redevelopment. Read more: BBC sells White City site for £87m to Stanhope and Japanese firm Mitsui Fudosan The dishes, which became a West London landmark for decades, were [...]
As the first homes go on sale in Canary Wharf: Is this the death of the commute? June 25, 2015 Since its inception in the 1980s, Canary Wharf has come to epitomise modern business. But until this week, no one could live there. The Canary Wharf Group, the development company responsible for the entire estate, has unveiled its first show home this week – and City A.M. has exclusive pictures of what’s inside. So whether [...]
Limassol hopes for yachts of cash with its revamped marina June 25, 2015 Luxury superyachts and Cyprus are not two words you would normally associate with each other in the Mediterranean’s troubled economic climate. And yet there are remarkable signs of returning prosperity to Cyprus, most obviously at Limassol Marina on the south coast of the island, which opened last year. It’s the first superyacht marina in [...]
Focus on Wimbledon property: A game of two halves in SW19 June 25, 2015 The world’s eyes will make their annual pilgrimage to Wimbledon on Monday, where they’ll spend several hours swivelling backwards and forwards watching the greatest tennis tournament on earth. While this leafy corner of south west London is primarily known for racquet sports, the rest of the year it’s one of the fastest-growing local property markets [...]