Whitbread in boost from Premier Inns December 14, 2010 WHITBREAD has seen sales rise at its budget Premier Inns and Costa Coffee bars, which will help it stay on target for its full-year forecasts, the company said yesterday. Sales at Premier Inns open for more than a year grew 8.7 per cent in the third quarter to 2 December. Occupancy rose to 80 per [...]
Whitbread profit fuelled by Costa and Premier December 14, 2010 Britain’s biggest hotel and coffee shop operator Whitbread said it expected strong profit growth in its current financial year benefiting from increased sales at its Premier Inn and Costa Coffee chains. Whitbread, which also owns the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurant chains, said sales at Premier Inn hotels open for more than a year grew [...]
Orchid invests £3.6m in Sky 3D December 12, 2010 The Orchid Group yesterday announced it will invest £3.6m upgrading all of its TV content to Sky 3D and Sky+HD. The move will see the technology installed in all 300 of its premises, which include Bar Room Bar, The Oriental Restaurant Group and The Living Room. Rufus Hall, chief executive of The Orchid Group said: [...]
OSBORNE’S AUSTERITY CHRISTMAS: A CHEAP TREE AND EMPTY RED BOX December 9, 2010 FOLLOWING on from The Capitalist’s report yesterday on what George Osborne will be collecting in taxes from you this season, readers might be happy to know that the chancellor will himself will be enforcing an austerity Christmas on his office. He certainly had a sorry Christmas tale to tell at yesterday’s lunch with the political [...]
Focus on Tunbridge Wells December 9, 2010 BISHOPS DOWN ROAD Price: £198,000 This one bedroom ground floor apartment is located within the development of Chartwell Lodge. The property is a short walk from the town centre where there are excellent shopping facilities, including the Royal Victoria Place shopping center and leisure centers. Facilities include a fitted kitchen and bathroom, a mirror wardrobe, [...]
Top City gyms for losing that seasonal flab December 6, 2010 NUFFIELD HEALTH & WELLBEING CENTRE 4 Cousin Lane, EC4R 3XJ www.nuffieldhealth.com 0845 2413836 Membership: £82-£96 per month Partly situated in dramatic arches next to the river near Cannon Street station, this is the biggest gym in the Square Mile, with four studios, three gym areas, two swimming pools and two spa pools, one of which [...]
SALE ON THE MENU FOR WAGAMAMA December 5, 2010 Morgan Stanley may now be the sole bidder for noodle bar chain, Wagamama, and has resumed talks with the restaurant’s owner, private equity firm, Lion Capital. Morgan Stanley’s private equity division was told its second-round bid was too low. It would not comment on reports it has placed an offer for just over £200m.
Rail revolution opens new areas for commuters December 2, 2010 ASK any Londoner what irritates them most about the city and they will say two things. First, the transport is rubbish and second, it is too hard to buy a decent, affordable home. For families who want their children to grow up outside London, the misery of the commute has to be weighed against the [...]
London apartments with classic stylings December 2, 2010 ANYBODY who wanders through the West End for any amount of time is taken with the stunning architecture, but many don’t get the opportunity to stay in these wonderful buildings. The new generation of serviced apartments, however, offers you the chance. These are proving increasingly popular for those who regularly spend time in London for [...]
European classics still all the rage if you want a place in the sunshine December 2, 2010 IF you fancy picking up a nice cottage in the Irish countryside, or a villa in Portugal or Greece, then now might be the time to start looking. In the wake of the financial crisis most potential buyers were put off by uncertainty, but now the eurozone is in crisis and the pound is relatively [...]