Gimme 5 April 27, 2014 …EY ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR LONDON AND THE SOUTH FINALISTS Aldermore The private equity-backed UK bank provides retail and SME savings accounts, commercial and residential mortgages, and asset and invoice finance. Founded by Phillip Monks, it has operated in the UK since 2009. aldermore.co.uk Cote Restaurants Operator of 47 casual dining restaurants across the UK, [...]
Hotels converted into townhouses in west London April 24, 2014 Michael Jackson’s favourite London hotel has been revived as The Hempel Collection TWO HOTELS that were worlds apart in style, concept and clientele have been brought together under one roof as part of a period conversion in west London. The Hempel Collection, a luxury development of 12 apartments and three bespoke townhouses in Bayswater, bears [...]
Focus on… Stratford: Stratford’s racing to the finish line April 24, 2014 EVERYONE knows that the Olympic Games were held in Stratford, east London, nearly two years ago, but few people know it for much else. It’s true that, since the opening of Westfield Stratford City, millions of people go there to shop – but how many are looking to live there? Despite the pre-Olympics hype, house [...]
SSP wins £35m Athens airport contract April 23, 2014 SSP, the food services group run by former WH Smith chief executive Kate Swann, has won a seven-year contract worth €42m (£34.6m) to run nine outlets at Athens’ international airport Eleftherios Venizelos. The restaurants inside a 500 square metre food court opened last month and include Le Grand Comptoir and bakery brand Panopolis. The group, [...]
McDonald’s profits fall as US diners stay away April 22, 2014 MCDONALD’S has suffered another sluggish quarter of sales in its key US market, dragging group profits down, as the fast-food giant struggled with fierce competition, weak consumer spending and a cold winter. Group like-for-like sales rose 0.5 per cent but US sales fell 1.7 per cent, which the hamburger chain blamed partly yesterday on the [...]
Restaurant review: One Kensington April 15, 2014 @steve_dinneen RESTAURANT 1 Kensington High Street, W8 5NP Tel: 0207 795 6533 FOOD Two Stars VALUE Two Stars ATMOSPHERE Two Stars Cost for two without booze: £100 I’m pretty sure Jason Atherton’s Berner’s Tavern featured prominently on the mood-board for Tamarind Collection’s new opening, One Kensington. They’re both big, high, grand old halls that have [...]
Heineken to sell off 100 UK pubs April 14, 2014 HEINEKEN is considering plans to sell around 100 of its UK pubs, up to 10 per cent of its British pub estate. The Dutch brewer is understood to be in the earliest stages of talks to dispose of the poorest performing pubs in its portfolio. “We currently have around 1,250 pubs in our estate, but [...]
Running your personal best time through the rainforest April 13, 2014 The day after the London Marathon, Kasmira Jefford tells us where to head for the next race IT IS is not yet eight in the morning but already the heat and humidity is cloying as I run down the long, red-earth road that skirts the south side of the Angkor Wat temple in Siem Reap, [...]
Crown Estate invests in St James April 10, 2014 The Crown Estate which owns Regent Street and other London landmarks, announced yesterday that it has made another investment in St James, acquiring 113 Jermyn Street for £6.7m. In the past five years the Crown Estate has invested £320m in 14 properties around St James’s. The investment is part of The Crown Estate’s plan to [...]
It’s high time you bought a plot in paradise April 10, 2014 Daniel O’Mahoney plays prospective buyer (and golf) at the resort THE sun-kissed Algarve region is hardly Portugal’s best-kept secret, and certainly not among British holidaymakers. It shows as soon as you step off the plane – plastered around Faro airport are loud English adverts for Marmite and ketchup. But only a 20 minute drive after [...]