Prezzo toasts strong first-half September 5, 2012 Italian restaurant chain Prezzo posted a jump in first-half revenues and profits as it continues to roll out its expansion programme. Sales rose 14 per cent to £68.1m in the 26 weeks to 1 July while adjusted pre-tax profits increased by four per cent to £7.6m. The company opened 12 restaurants in the period bringing [...]
Lloyds ploughs £20m into new restaurant fund September 3, 2012 LLOYDS Banking Group’s private equity arm said yesterday it has agreed to provide £20m for a new restaurant fund set up by the former boss of The Clapham House Group. Paul Campbell is setting up the fund through his vehicle Hill Capital in partnership with LDC to invest in restaurant businesses with a small number [...]
Focus on: Wimbledon August 30, 2012 Wimbledon has become one the most popular places to live in London, with Wimbledon Village being near the top of the tree. Easy transport links make it ideal for those who want quick access to the city, whilst reaping the benefits of a quieter suburban life. On the fast train, you can expect to be [...]
Pop-ups are everywhere but The Seagrass shines August 27, 2012 RESTAURANT THE SEAGRASS 74 Chapel Market, Islington, N1 9ER Tel: 020 7837 5270 FOOD **** SERVICE *** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £30 POP-UPS. They’ve become a thing, haven’t they? If it’s not located in the loft of an abandoned Victorian insane asylum, it isn’t worth a dime. You can’t move for the [...]
All aboard the magnificent Orient Express August 19, 2012 ITALY’S in debt, you say? Well, I’m on the Orient Express headed straight to Venice – fiddling while Rome burns, you might say – and there’s no sign of the Italian economy crashing here. As if to prove my point, the flamboyant Massimo shows me another popular purchase from the train’s on-board shop. “These diamond [...]
Rapid Responses August 15, 2012 Not short changed [Re: Why Boris owes me £90,000 for Olympic damage, yesterday] I couldn’t afford to travel from Florida to go to the Olympics and enjoy all that London and Britain had to offer during that fortnight. The Games are expensive, and London isn’t cheap. However, now the big show is over, I’m inspired [...]
Drake & Morgan opening more quirky City bars August 13, 2012 CITY WORKERS rejoice. Drake & Morgan, the quirky bar and restaurant group behind the Anthologist and the Folly in the City, is set to launch two more venues for thirsty employees to visit after a hard day’s work, this time nearer to Holborn and St Paul’s. Fund manager Axa Real Estate revealed yesterday it has [...]
LONDON 2012 IMAGE OF THE DAY August 12, 2012 The City of London was buzzing with Olympics spectators yesterday as the Men’s Marathon took in the Square Mile. Here Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai of Kenya and Yared Asmerom of Eritrea run through Leadenhall Market. Restaurants such as the Mercer in Threadneedle Street opened specially for the occasion. Throughout the Olympics, City A.M. will be publishing [...]
Restaurant boss demands £90k from Mayor August 9, 2012 THE OWNER of a City of London restaurant yesterday hand-delivered a bill for £90,000 to Mayor of London Boris Johnson in protest at alleged loss of trade during the Olympics. Neleen Strauss of the High Timber restaurant said turnover is down 80 per cent in the last fortnight as workers stay out of the City [...]
Why Boris owes me £90,000 for Olympic damage August 9, 2012 I HAVE hand-delivered a bill for £90,000 to the mayor of London. This is – give or take a few hundred pounds – what the Olympic Games have cost me in turnover since they began. And I have asked Boris Johnson to pay the bill personally, not from the seemingly limitless coffers that supported London [...]