Inside Africa’s megacity: God, oil, and traffic chaos in Lagos November 29, 2013 From the Nollywood film industry to shanty-dwellers with a line in tech imports, Nigeria’s biggest city reveals its secrets to Alex Dymoke NO ONE knows quite how many people live in Lagos. Nigeria’s 2006 census put the official figure at just under 8m. The UN estimated the number for 2011 at 11.2m. Others say it’s [...]
Marston’s sells off 200 pubs to New River Retail as profits grow November 28, 2013 PUB AND and brewing company Marston’s said yesterday it will sell 202 pubs to property group New River Retail for £90m as part of efforts to reduce debt and help pay for its new pub-restaurants. Marston’s, which has 2,100 pubs in the UK, said it was trying to shift from pubs focused on drinking to pubs [...]
Nando’s opens new branches as annual profits in Britain double November 27, 2013 CHICKEN restaurant chain Nando’s has beefed up its profits in the last year after opening new branches. Accounts for Nando’s Group Holdings, the British business carrying the Nando’s name, showed turnover in the year to 24 February rose 15.6 per cent to £485.2m, while pre-tax profits more than doubled to £33.4m. Nando’s opened 30 restaurants [...]
Shaftesbury to give Chinatown shops a facelift November 27, 2013 WEST END landlord Shaftesbury said yesterday it is looking to shake up Chinatown by refurbishing some of the buildings and bringing in new restaurant operators from the Far East, as the group posted strong full-year figures. Chinatown, which makes up 22 per cent of Shaftesbury’s portfolio, has the largest concentration of restaurants in the UK [...]
Review: The Sign of the Don November 26, 2013 FOOD Four Stars VALUE Three Stars ATMOSPHERE Four Stars Cost for two with matched wine and some sherry £148 Address: 21 St Swithins Lane, EC4N 8AD Tel: 020 7626 2606 If you were taking a partner out for an important occasion – an anniversary, maybe, or the death of a loved one – would you [...]
O’Neill’s owner Mitchells & Butlers profits rise to £150m November 26, 2013 Pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers profits rose to £150m for the year ended 28 September 2013. The group whose branded bars and restaurants include All Bar One and O'Neill's saw revenue rise 2.2 per cent to £1.2bn with like-for-like sales growth of0.1 per cent in the first eight weeks of the fiscal year [...]
Thomas Cook sells Neilson to Luke Johnson November 25, 2013 LUKE Johnson, the serial restaurant entrepreneur best known for putting Pizza Express on the map, yesterday struck a deal to buy specialist sports travel group Neilson from Thomas Cook for £9.15m. The deal is Johnson’s second in the travel sector this year after his investment vehicle Risk Capital bought a majority stake in online holiday [...]
Hammerson and Westfield plans for Whitgift Centre win approval November 25, 2013 PLANS for the £1bn redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre in Croydon were given the go-ahead by the council’s planning committee last night. Developers Westfield and Hammerson have been granted outline planning consent to convert the tired 1960s shopping centre into a 1.5m square feet retail and leisure destination with 600 new homes. The scheme, which [...]
Catering group Searcys put up for sale with price tag of £25m November 24, 2013 SEARCYS, the operator of the restaurant at the top of the iconic Gherkin tower, has been put up for sale with a price tag of around £25-30m. The upmarket catering company, which also operates the champagne bars at the One New Change shopping centre in the City and at St Pancras station, has hired financial [...]
Discovering the entrepreneurial spirit behind Argentine wine November 24, 2013 Laura Ivill travels to Mendoza in Argentina to experience the wine-making journey from humble grape to fine-dining staple DRAW a line on the map from the bustling streets of Buenos Aires west across Argentina’s interior and you reach the soaring 6,000-metre peaks of the Andes. In the foothills, the low-rise sprawling city of Mendoza lends [...]