Whitbread to expand faster as profits jump 20pc April 28, 2011 Pub and hotel operator Whitbread has pushed pre-tax profits up 20 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 and committed to further expansion in core brands such as Costa Coffee and Premier Inn. Whitbread produced £287.1m underlying pre-tax profit, up from £239.1m in the same quarter in 2010, as like for like sales increased [...]
BAA warns on Heathrow traffic as losses increase April 27, 2011 BRITISH airports operator BAA scaled back its forecasts for passenger traffic at Heathrow during the peak summer season and said higher interest costs pushed it deeper into the red in the first-quarter, wiping out the benefits of revenue increases and lower costs. BAA, majority owned by Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial , said yesterday that its [...]
Greene King buys Realpubs as the fine weather brings in more customers April 27, 2011 PUBS and brewery group Greene King reported accelerating sales growth and said it had benefited from good weather attracting drinkers into its pubs over the last few weeks. The group, which brews Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen beer, also said it had purchased Realpubs, which operates 14 London pubs, for £53.1m. That takes [...]
It’s time to uncork a bottle of bubbly or ten April 27, 2011 NO doubt there’ll be rather a few champagne glasses being clinked around the country tomorrow. One of the more predictable aspects of attending a good wedding is the certainty of a pulsating champagne hangover the next day, and this time that applies to street parties, garden parties, pub gatherings and all the other get-togethers taking [...]
Zara Phillips knows a thing or two about relaxation. So if she favours a beautiful horsey resort in the rolling hills near Lisbon, it can’t be a bad place for us, either April 25, 2011 THESE are busy days for Zara Phillips, what with her wedding to rugby player Mike Tindall in July, her cousin Will’s nuptials this week and training to compete in next year’s Olympics. But judging by Zara’s choice of holiday home – a 220 sq m, four-bedroom villa with pool set on rolling Portuguese hills half [...]
CITY A.M. BIG HITTERS TEE UP TO MAKE GOLF DAY GO WITH A SWING April 18, 2011 THE first City A.M. Golf Day took place at Kingswood Golf & Country Club in Surrey, designer James Braid’s “finest parkland golf course in England”. Braid, the five-times British Open champion who is famous for his golf courses at Carnoustie, Gleneagles and Hankley Common, built Kingswood in the 1920s during the same building boom as [...]
FOOD & BOOZE NEWS April 18, 2011 FRY-UP FLAVOUR EASTER EGGS The roars of delight that went up in the City A.M. offices on hearing of breakfast-themed Artisan du Chocolat easter eggs (see pic below) were probably heard across the City. Bacon, mushroom and tomato may not sound like the most enticing trio of chocolate flavours to normal people, but to us [...]
Stuck for Easter? Try out an old Paris classic April 17, 2011 NOT everyone who visits Paris has a Carrie Bradshaw moment. That is to say, when fizzing with excitement to have touched down in the City of Light, you fling open the shutters of your Parisian hotel room on to a glittering view of the Eiffel Tower. In my experience, even in a decent three-star, the [...]
STOCK EXCHANGE VET TO STAGE WEST END MUSICAL COMEBACK April 14, 2011 THE Stock Exchange Veterans dinner last night had the largest turnout in its 15-year history, with 470 brokers out in force at The Brewery. The event’s organiser Bill Sharp, head of institutional sales at Alexander David, was delighted to “see so many old friends”, including Ron Martin, chairman of Southend United FC, Brian Winterflood of [...]
HENDON, LONDON April 14, 2011 DOWNAGE, NEAR PARSON STREET Price: £1.35m This five-bedroomed detached family home stretches across 3,030 sq ft and three floors. It has a landscaped garden, two separate garages and a long driveway with space for more than one car. Contact: Aston Chase on 020 8455 3538 or go to www.astonchase.com TENTERDEN GROVE Price: £699,950 This mews [...]