Battersea Power Station is go February 9, 2011 The developer of the Battersea Power Station site won final approval for its regeneration plan yesterday, which is now due to begin in 2012. Real Estate Opportunities got the green light from secretary of state for communities and local government Eric Pickles for the £5.5bn scheme yesterday, following earlier approval from the Mayor of London [...]
To the ends of the earth February 6, 2011 CHILE is a land of contrasts – and not least for the euphoria of the miners’ rescue last year, preceded by the coastal earthquake. But it is this land – volcanic and alive, and rich in minerals – that entices me to travel half way around the world to explore its natural wonders, the northern [...]
Savoy Hotel is a unique London treat February 6, 2011 IT was with much trepidation that we turned off the Strand into the short lane towards the Savoy’s entrance, the only road in Britain where one drives on the right. It all looked familiar: the landmark Art Deco sign, the shiny Rolls-Royces, the uniformed staff. But as soon as we climbed out of our car, [...]
Intelligent luxury for smart skiers at Les Domaines February 2, 2011 THE new Alpine luxury is understated, contemporary elegance in a traditional-looking wood building, with lots of hand-crafted features and discreet state-of-the-art facilities. It is located in a small and original village – not a purpose-built concrete bunker. These days, intelligent luxury means completely no-hassle holidays – you own your own property, but it is fully [...]
TASTING NOTES February 2, 2011 I’LL be honest, I wasn’t terrifically enthused with the idea of cocktails combining booze with, er, root vegetables. Actually not just root vegetables, a variety of veg, though with parsnip and beetroot playing a couple of starring roles. I was picturing gloopy veggie soup with gin stirred in as I climbed the stairs to Roast, [...]
From sleazy chic to grand hotel-glam February 2, 2011 THIS week’s hottest launch took place down an unassuming alley off Soho’s Brewer Street (the old Raymond Revuebar site) where imposing oaken doors hide London’s newest spectacle, The Box. This sister club to NYC’s theatrical speakeasy is not for the faint hearted. Lurid murals line the walls of the womb-like reception room where would-be revellers [...]
Greene King buys Cloverleaf January 31, 2011 GREENE King has bought the pub restaurant group Cloverleaf for £56m. Chief executive Rooney Anand (pictured) said the acquisition, combined with a planned investment of around £25m to open ten new Cloverleaf premises within two years, would utilise the remaining balance of its rights issue proceeds. The deal has added another 12 restaurants to Greene [...]
Greene King buys Cloverleaf January 31, 2011 Greene King has bought carvery and pub chain Cloverleaf Restaurants for £56m. Cloverleaf has 12 sites in the Midlands and the north of England with plans for 10 more. Meanwhile Suffolk-based Greene King said sales from outlets open more than a year in its largest unit, Retail, rose 3.9 per cent in the 38 weeks [...]
Less than half of City jobs are in finance January 30, 2011 FINANCIAL companies in the City and Canary Wharf stimulate a vast and varied range of jobs outside the sector, according to official figures seen by City A.M. Less than half (44 per cent) the jobs in London’s main financial districts were in finance and insurance in 2009, with 232,682 other jobs existing in support services [...]
The Cloud wi-fi network is target for Sky January 25, 2011 SKY is on the brink of snapping up wi-fi hotspot provider The Cloud in a deal analysts say could be worth around £100m. Sky is desperate to compete with rival BT, which offers its subscribers free access to its Openzone wireless network covering most of the country. The Cloud has around 22,000 hotspots across the [...]