Art, history and pampering in New England’s capital February 12, 2012 Boston: the genteel city of academia, tea parties, clam chowder, Matt Damon, and for me at least, electric eels. I had come to Boston on a long weekend – a bit of sales shopping, sight-seeing and relaxing in this history-steeped city. Yet also to confirm something that had been a bit of a mystery for [...]
Duke Street shelves plan for €850m fundraising February 1, 2012 THE PRIVATE equity house behind Japanese restaurant chain Wagamama and payments network Payzone has pulled a €850m (£706.5m) fundraising as global market turmoil shows little sign of easing. Duke Street now wants to raise cash for every one or two deals it carries out, although it is set to receive payments to cover operational costs [...]
One-off gains push Nomura back to profit February 1, 2012 NOMURA revealed a surprise boost back into profit in its quarterly results yesterday, although analysts said that much of the improvement was down to one-off gains. The bank swung back into the black to book earnings of ¥36.9bn (£306m) for the quarter, versus a ¥42.3bn loss the previous quarter. That was on the back of [...]
REFORM IS THE STORY OF BANKING BESTSELLER February 1, 2012 EVER WONDERED how former BP and Lehman Brothers spinner Andrew Gowers ended up as a strategic consultant to the Association for Financial Markets in Europe? The appointment of the one-time FT editor last November was a “seamless transition”, says AFME’s CEO Simon Lewis, from Gowers editing the body’s collection of essays on reforming Europe’s financial [...]
COOK SNUBS M&B BOARD FOR VILLAGE HOTELS LIFE January 31, 2012 MITCHELLS & BUTLERS offered him a “senior role” following his resignation as chief executive of hotel group Malmaison last September. But Robert Cook turned down the chance to help chairman Bob Ivell steer the FTSE 250 pub group into calmer waters to instead put the Village Hotels brand, part of the Lloyds Banking Group-backed De [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING January 30, 2012 FINANCIAL TIMES HK IPO FOR SUNSHINE OILSANDS Sunshine Oilsands, a Canadian tar sands company backed by Chinese state-owned enterprises, has shunned Toronto and will next month launch an initial public offering in Hong Kong that could raise as much as $600m. The company plans to sell a 25 per cent stake in the offering, according [...]
The Rib Room is okay… but that’s it January 30, 2012 The Carlton’s eatery turned 50 last year, celebrating with a refurb and new chef. But has it worked? Jumeirah Carlton Tower, SW1X 9PY FOOD ** SERVICE **** ATMOSPHERE *** Cost per person without wine: £65 Elderly restaurants can be a bit like grandparents – demanding of respect without doing very much to deserve it. They [...]
Try dog sledding, shooting and snowshoeing – all before tea January 29, 2012 WITH the wind flying in my face, I looked ahead to see my pack of dogs, panting and straining at the leash, pulling us through the pristine white landscape of Haute Maurienne Vanoise. With just the teams of huskies in sight as far as the eye could see, and only the sound of barking and [...]
Subway to create 6,000 new UK jobs January 26, 2012 SUBWAY, the sandwich franchise chain, has announced ambitious plans to open over 2,000 stores in the UK and Ireland over the next three year, creating more than 6,000 jobs. The company, which is famous for its US-style foot-long rolls, said its expansion plans were fuelled by a growing consumer demand for “convenient, affordable” food on [...]
Investors give M&B a bloody nose on execs January 26, 2012 MANY shareholders in Mitchells & Butlers yesterday rebelled against the dominance of the company’s largest investor Piedmont by voting against the re-election of its representatives Ron Robson and Douglas McMahon to the board. Although all five directors were voted back onto the board at the company’s AGM, about one in five investors either voted against [...]