Growing food and booze sales give festive cheer to Marston’s January 21, 2014 MARSTON’S yesterday became the latest pub chain to report strong trading over the Christmas and New Year period, with like-for-like sales up 4.1 per cent. Food sales grew by 5.6 per cent in the 15 weeks to 18 January, the firm said, while at its more drinks-led managed pubs’ sales were up three per cent. [...]
Restaurant review: Andina, Shoreditch January 21, 2014 @steve_dinneen 1 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ Tel: 020 7920 6499 FOOD Four Stars VALUE Four Stars ATMOSPHERE Three Stars Cost for two with a fair bit of booze: £150 IF I could go back five years and give myself one foodie tip, it would be “never set foot in Trader Vic’s”. If I could give [...]
Dubai’s mini-Europe – where it rains and streets are snowy January 21, 2014 Dubai, the desert state where luxury comes as standard and temperatures can easily soar over 40 degrees centigrade, will soon have its first snow-lined streets, in an impressive project called The Heart of Europe. The ambitious – if somewhat zany – Heart of Europe will offer visitors a number of five start luxury hotels, restaurants [...]
CNBC Comment: Davos cynics miss its true relevance January 20, 2014 IT’S EASY to be hysterical or snarky about the annual gathering of chief executives, politicians, economists and “thought leaders” at the World Economic Forum in Davos (which begins this week) – particularly if you’re not going. Plenty of conspiracy theorists suspect that the world’s elite is gathering in this small Swiss town to plan the [...]
A gourmet Tuscan break with a splash of luxury January 19, 2014 From fine olive oil and rolling vineyards to hunting for truffles in the forests surrounding San Gimignano, the heart of Italy is the perfect place for a foodie winter getaway ON MY second day at Castello di Casole, the concierge told me that an American tech supremo recently booked out the entire villa complex for [...]
The rise of the London Village January 16, 2014 IT SEEMS these days everyone wants their slice of village life, even if they live and work in the heart of the city. The Big Smoke has always been made up of distinct neighbourhoods with their own character and lifestyle, but the idea of the London Village has really taken hold in the public imagination [...]
Expansion lifts full-year sales at Wagamama January 14, 2014 WAGAMAMA, the Japanese-inspired noodle chain, said yesterday that sales jumped 13.5 per cent last year as the company ramped up its expansion plans in the UK. The private equity-owned group posted sales of £141.2m in the year to 28 April compared with £124.4m the previous year, driven by 14 new restaurant openings. Pre-tax profits edged [...]
Review: Foxlow, Clerkenwell January 14, 2014 RESTAURANT WHERE 67-79 St John Street, EC1M 4AN Tel: 020 7014 8070 FOOD Three Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with wine: £100 HERE at City A.M. we are big fans of private equity buyouts – largely because they give us something to write about. They’re also a cracking excuse to [...]
Sales soar over festive season at Greene King January 13, 2014 BREWER and pub group Greene King yesterday reported a 3.8 per cent jump in its like-for-like sales during the first 36 weeks of its financial year, boosted by bumper food sales on Christmas Day. The results were helped by the two trading weeks covering Christmas and the New Year, during which Greene King reported sales [...]
Greene King brews up record-breaking Christmas January 13, 2014 Pub retailer Greene King has posted a rise in like-for-like sales of five per cent for the last six weeks. The company achieved a six per cent rise in like-for-like sales over the years two most important trading weeks. Christmas Day proved to be the most successful in the company's history, with 62,000 meals sold, [...]