I’m dreaming of a blue and green Christmas November 24, 2011 The colour of TV commercial Christmas is snowy-white, accented by the waxy green and red of bows of holly. The Christmas of real life tends to be a slushy brown, accented by car-fumes and accompanied by a complete breakdown of the transport system. While most of us will just slog through it as usual, for [...]
M&B expects to overcome tough conditions November 22, 2011 Restaurant and pub group Mitchells & Butlers has said it is confident it could overcome the tough consumer environment in 2012 after making a good start to its new financial year, helped by mild weather. The company, which rejected two bid approaches from billionaire currency trader Joe Lewis earlier this year, posted full-year adjusted pre-tax [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD November 20, 2011 COMPANY NEWS ● Mitie Group announces its half-year results today. The facilities management company offers a range of building and support services, from industrial painting and engineering, to catering and cleaning. ● Mitchells & Butlers announces its final results and De La Rue announces its interim results tomorrow. M&B runs about 2,000 pubs and restaurants [...]
A weekend in Johannesburg November 20, 2011 THERE’S too much history in this town.” So says my tour guide Zac as we speed away from Johannesburg airport. He’s not wrong. Just 125 years old, South Africa’s largest city has developed as though on steroids. The often bloody events that mark its relatively short lifetime read like those of a much older city. [...]
Tis the season to get yourself a fabulous ski chalet in one of Europe’s prime locations November 17, 2011 CHAMPEX-LAC, VERBIER Price: CHF1,390,000 A beautiful, expansive, 7-bedroom chalet, nestled in the valley by Verbier. It’s fully renovated, with a ski room, games room and wine cellar, and a brilliant location close to the slopes. Contact: Chesterton Humberts International 020 3040 8210, www.chestertonhumberts.com LES BALCONS DE LA CHAPELLE, MÉRIBEL Price: From €720,000 for a 2-bed [...]
EXPANDED MAREX SPECTRON CALLS ON BORIS FOR BISHOPSGATE MOVE November 16, 2011 WE ARE positive about the outlook for our business, said broker Marex Spectron when it unveiled its 83 per cent boost in operating profits on Tuesday night. No charitable donations were paid out during the year to 31 March – just dividends to shareholders of £5.3m – but all that changed as of yesterday, when [...]
Lord Mayor Appeal’s City fanfare November 15, 2011 THE run-up to the Square Mile Salute dinner, an annual banquet that raises funds for wounded soldiers and their families, got off to a fine start this weekend with the Lord Mayor’s Parade through the City. Floats and parades through the Square Mile starring a range of causes and supporters, made for a brilliant spectacle. [...]
QUAFFER’S CORNER November 14, 2011 HEAD SOMMELIER AND MANAGER OF LUTYENS RESTAURANT BEING from the New World, I’m accustomed to thinking of grape growing as a specialised activity but, in fact, in parts of Europe it is the norm to grow grapes as part of a pattern of mixed agriculture, combining it with fruit or nut trees, perhaps a cow [...]
Ski Seefeld’s winter wonderland November 13, 2011 TO MY mind, downhill skiing is too much like hard work. Long journeys from the airport to reach the resorts; dawdling in queues to take lifts up to the slopes; expensive ski passes; complicated clothing; the constant risk of a nasty accident. I have always wanted to enjoy everything skiing has to offer without all [...]
Restaurant Group says on track for 2012 November 10, 2011 THE RESTAURANT group said it continued to make good progress, posting a 6.5 per cent rise in sales in the 44 weeks to November, despite pressure from inflationary costs and weak consumer spending. The owner of Frankie & Benny’s and Chiquito restaurant chains said November trading had started well and remains on track to meet [...]