Any Other Business – 21/03 March 21, 2014 THE BUDGET-related gags still hadn’t run out of steam when the Taxpayers’ Alliance held a briefing on Tufton Street yesterday. Lib Dem MP Jeremy Browne kicked things off: “We can go and celebrate, buy 350 beers get one free,” he chortled. Lord McFall wasn’t far behind though, likening the chancellor to game show legend Noel Edmonds. [...]
Five of the best | Lobster dishes in the square mile March 18, 2014 Lobster roll at burger and lobster, 1 Bread St, EC4M 8SH There are only three things on the menu at Burger and Lobster, and this has to be the best. With rich mayonnaise, chives and a melted butter accompaniment, it’s an indulgent treat – just the way lobster should be. Half a native lobster with [...]
Capital & Counties seals £665m loan for Covent Garden portfolio March 17, 2014 CAPITAL & Counties (Capco) said yesterday that it has secured a new £665m loan to help expand its huge £1.2bn Covent Garden estate. The developer said the five-year unsecured debt facility will replace three existing secured loans and provide “improved operational and financial flexibility” to support its expansion. Capco has been sprucing up its Covent [...]
10-week fitness challenge the get-fit diary of an out of shape office worker March 17, 2014 @steve_dinneen IN SAM Mendes’ American Beauty there is a scene in which Kevin Spacey’s character approaches a neighbour for fitness advice. “What do you want to achieve?”, asks the neighbour. “I just want to look good naked.” This is my answer when my personal trainer asks why I want to put myself through a 10-week program [...]
Just-Eat float will have no retail component March 17, 2014 City AM has learned that the float of fast food website Just-Eat will have no retail component. Retail investors will be able to go through brokers who've put in an institutional bid, but there'll be no direct access to the initial public offering (IPO). This mirrors Poundland's recent IPO, which also lacked a retail component. [...]
Just-Eat set to become a public company March 17, 2014 Fast food site Just-Eat has confirmed its intention to float in London and hopes to raise as much as £100m from its primary offering. SM Trust, Index Ventures, Vitruvian Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Greylock Partners are expected to sell some their shareholding in the offer. Just-Eat, which was founded in Denmark in 2001 and operates [...]
Cafe Rouge set to be offloaded to Apollo funds March 17, 2014 VULTURE fund Apollo Global Management is on the verge of wresting control of the struggling owner behind popular restaurant brands Cafe Rouge and Strada. Apollo, which buys the loans of struggling firms, has snapped up a substantial portion of the debt in the restaurant’s parent company Tragus Group, which is owned by Blackstone. The purchase [...]
City Matters: How evolving City offices are positioning for the next big tech breakthrough March 17, 2014 WE ALL want the next Google, Facebook or Twitter to come from London. The same is true for major success stories from other industries. This can only happen, however, if we ensure the capital has the right mix of space to enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to grow and realise their full potential. The [...]
Sale of Pizza Express could raise £900m for private equity owner March 13, 2014 PIZZA Express is being groomed for a sale by its private equity owners in a move which could also see the sale of stablemate eateries Ask and Zizzi. The popular chain, which is controlled by a company called Gondola Group, is working with Goldman Sachs and Rothschild to explore either a float or outright sale [...]
Kelly Brook’s new place is Mahiki for City workers March 11, 2014 STEAM & RYE 147 Leadenhall St EC3V 4QT Tel: 020 7444 9960 FOOD Two Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Two Stars Cost for two with drinks: £105 STEAM & Rye’s website features pages and pages of photographs of Tarquins and Lotties drinking cocktails and having what looks like a bloody good time. Here’s Tarquin posing [...]