Costa coffee lifts Whitbread sales June 17, 2014 The UK's largest hotel and restaurant group Whitbread has reported rise in total like-for-like sales of seven per cent for the 13 weeks to 29 May. Premier Inn led the way by growing market share and increasing like-for-like sales 9.5 per cent. A strong London market was a major contributor to rising sales. The company [...]
Raw ambition: Meet Yo! Sushi founder and ex-Dragon Simon Woodroffe June 16, 2014 Harriet Green talks Yo! Sushi and embracing disaster with ex-Dragon Simon Woodroffe For one of Britain’s most ebullient entrepreneurs, Simon Woodroffe is modest about his first steps into business. “The initial motivation was desperation”, he says. The founder of Yo! Sushi, Yo! and former BBC Dragon says that he “started a restaurant in a world [...]
Chilango launches burrito bonds to fund expansion with free food June 10, 2014 A MEXICAN food chain has come up with a more appetising way of raising funds for expansion after launching a retail bond that rewards its investors with burritos. Chilango, which was founded in 2007 by ex-Skype executives Eric Partaker and Dan Houghton, launched the new “burrito bond” yesterday on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube to raise between [...]
Fuller’s clinches £7.3m cider and pizza business June 10, 2014 FULLER, Smith and Turner has taken a 51 per cent stake in cider and restaurant business The Stable. The £7.3m deal, which also sees Fuller’s take the freehold of The Bull Hotel in Dorset, is expected to be profit-neutral for the first year as four of The Stable’s six outlets have opened in the last [...]
Dish of the Day: Sabrina Ghayour’s lamb biryani June 10, 2014 Picture: Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton PERSIAN food is much lighter than people expect and it’s the least spiced food in the Middle East. It uses an abundance of fresh herbs, lemons, tomatoes and molasses and we tend to eat a lot of lamb, chicken and fish. It’s a really good place to start if you [...]
Dish of the Day: Sabrina Ghayour’s lamb biryani June 10, 2014 Picture: Liz & Max Haarala Hamilton PERSIAN food is much lighter than people expect and it’s the least spiced food in the Middle East. It uses an abundance of fresh herbs, lemons, tomatoes and molasses and we tend to [...]
SSP stays silent on float plans as profits take leap June 9, 2014 KATE Swann, the boss of travel catering giant SSP, stayed silent on potential plans for a £2bn float yesterday after posting a 28 per cent jump in operating profits. The private equity-owned group was said earlier this year to be gearing up for a float this month, after drafting in Goldman Sachs. Swann declined to [...]
The labour squeeze: How slow reform threatens Abenomics June 9, 2014 More QE cannot be a substitute for labour market reform JAPANESE shares hit a three-month high yesterday, boosted by an upward revision to first quarter GDP and Friday’s strong US jobs report. The Japanese government announced that the economy grew at an annualised 6.7 per cent in the first quarter, up sharply on the initial [...]
Kings of Leon: Meet fast food entrepreneurs Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent June 8, 2014 Annabel Palmer talks fast food in heaven with Leon founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent BRITAIN’S foodies have never had it so good. Barely a week goes by without a new fad emerging to whet their sweetbreads (most recently, the rise of American-inspired dipping and Korean cuisine); BBC One’s Masterchef becomes ever more delectable as [...]
A warm welcome to race-goers from London’s business paper June 7, 2014 WELCOME to today’s special Saturday edition to celebrate one of the greatest and most exciting sporting events of the year. Here at City A.M., we are truly passionate about the Investec Derby as well as horse-racing in general. Our readers work hard – but they also love to play hard, and that means they have [...]