Unfinished business: Serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson talks sentimentality, curves and the General Election April 19, 2015 It's a big wide world, and there’s a lot to be done. It’s important to have a sense of urgency.” This is business polymath Luke Johnson’s answer to why it is that he has quite so many business interests – his industriousness is astonishing. Johnson, who waded into the world of business after getting a [...]
Nestle in exclusive talks to sell frozen food business to Brakes April 15, 2015 NESTLE said yesterday that it is in exclusive talks to sell its frozen food business Davigel to food service operator Brakes Group as part of its drive to focus on its core operations. The Swiss consumer giant, which owns household staples including Cheerio’s cereal and Kit Kat chocolate bars, has been offloading non-core businesses in [...]
British Land grabs a £210m site April 14, 2015 BRITISH Land has added to its huge swathe of property in Paddington after buying Visa Europe’s headquarters for £210m. The UK’s second biggest listed landlord said yesterday it has acquired One Sheldon Square at Paddington Central from Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund. Paddington Central is a vast 11 acre campus comprising offices, restaurants and shops close [...]
Horsing around in the city April 13, 2015 YOU’VE heard of bulls in china shops but you probably haven’t heard of horses in City restaurants. But that’s exactly what you’re looking at – yesterday saw several world class ponies, and polo players, descend on the M Restaurant on Threadneedle Street, to check out the venue ahead of a Meet the Polo Players dinner [...]
From flights to philanthropy: Ebookers founder Dinesh Dhamija talks luck, Romania and why Britain’s entrepreneurs shouldn’t be too bothered about the General Election April 12, 2015 We often hear that the startup landscape of today lacks funding opportunities: the banks still aren’t lending to small businesses, and despite pockets of cash existing, unless you’ve got the inside track, it’s difficult to know how to access them. But Dinesh Dhamija, the multi-millionaire son of an Indian diplomat who, in 1999, founded online [...]
Have a whale of a time beside the Sunshine Coast in the real Australia April 12, 2015 Everyone knows it’s a long way to Australia, but I don’t think people really compute just how claustrophobic a 24 hour flight is until they’ve done it. When I touched down in Brisbane, a small child jubilantly ripped her seatbelt off and cried, “I’m free, Mummy! I’m free!” I was right there with her. If [...]
Focus on Bermondsey: Take a walk on the south side April 9, 2015 Affordable housing in Zone One is becoming something of a rarity in London, but look just south of the river and you’ll find one area in particular that’s still a decent prospect for first-time buyers looking for a good investment. Paul Bent, sales manager at Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward’s London Bridge branch says young professionals [...]
From the leaders debate to the Holborn fire: Here’s what got us talking this week April 2, 2015 There was a fire. Then there was another fire. And in Salford, there were fireworks (or was it a damp squib?). Considering it was a short week, plenty happened. Here's what got us talking. 1. And they were off. It may feel like they've been at it for weeks, but Monday was officially the [...]
Restaurant review: Second time lucky for Kensington’s Zaika? March 31, 2015 Zaika has a pleasingly convoluted history. Pay attention, now. It opened in 1999 under the auspices of chef Vineet Bhati and two years later won a Michelin star – the first time an Indian restaurant had received the accolade (two did that year). It held onto the star for four years, during which time it moved [...]
Mix it up: In praise of SushiSamba’s Kobe Cocktail and the inimitable Tom Yam March 31, 2015 For years I’ve been hearing the general buzz about Heron Tower’s bars and restaurants, but until recently I hadn’t taken the memorable ride in its near supersonic elevator to find out more. Prior to my elevation, I had conflated the building’s Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian SushiSamba with its modern European Duck & Waffle into a mush of quacking [...]