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 [...]
Marston’s delivers festive cheer with robust results December 2, 2010 PUB landlord Marston’s overcame news of pub closures and the recession to deliver cheering full-year results yesterday. Marston’s, the UK’s largest brewer of cask ale and owner of 2,158 pubs across the country, defied tough trading conditions to report top-of-the-range adjusted profit before tax of £73.5m, up 4.6 per cent from £70.5m the previous year. [...]
Shaftesbury shops provide profit jump November 30, 2010 WEST END property company Shaftesbury posted double-digit growth in its asset value for the full-year yesterday, and said it expected strong demand for its shops, pubs and restaurants to continue. Shaftesbury also said it was hunting for a new chief executive, after current boss Jonathan Lane announced his intention to retire in 2011 after 24 [...]
All cosied up? Time to drink yourself warmer November 29, 2010 THE next best thing to snuggling up in a woolly jumper or – if you’re a City A.M. reader, perhaps a Burberry snood – is a warming tipple. We’ve carefully combed the options to find the best ones near you. CITY Five hot cocktails are on offer at the Folly and the Anthologist near Bank, [...]
Hooray: Hakkasan comes to Mayfair November 29, 2010 Hakkasan (Mayfair) 17 Bruton Street, W1J 6QB Tel: 020 7907 1888, www.hakkasan.com FOOD SERVICE ATMOSPHERE Cost per person without wine: £55 LAST week I gained half a stone. It all started (relatively) modestly with a couple of (gastro) pub meals. And it ended modestly: eating a cheeseburger and chips while standing up at the crowded, [...]
Moving in on Britain’s top state schools November 25, 2010 WITH the standards of living rising and employment ever more insecure, committing your child to private education has become a risky business. Parents who have children edging towards that crucial eleventh year will no doubt be trying to unpick the admissions policies to the best state schools. They are also likely to have entertained the [...]
Morocco is attracting the luxury investor November 25, 2010 IT’s hot, it’s exotic and beautiful. No wonder Morocco, long on the traveller’s radar, is rapidly becoming the place that the beautiful people are going to buy their second homes. Says Alistair Emery, CEO of developer Ajensa, which is nearing completion of the Baglioni resort near Marrakech: “In the last few years as people have [...]