Mitchells & Butlers chairman John Lovering to resign January 23, 2011 JOHN Lovering is set to step down as chairman of the pubs group Mitchells & Butlers this week, a year after taking over following an investor-led board battle. Lovering, the former chairman of retailer Debenhams, has told the board he wants to leave as soon as a successor is found, because he feels he has [...]
Limassol Marina is a slice of nautical heaven January 20, 2011 EVER wanted to take your superyacht through Cyprus en route to Africa or the Middle East but been discouraged because there was nowhere to berth it? Soon that will no longer be a problem, thanks to the completion of the new £350m Limassol Marina, a luxury collection of waterside villas, residences and moorings that can [...]
FINEST FEAST IS BEST WAY TO BLOW BONUS January 18, 2011 A ONCE in a lifetime event raising money for three war veterans’ charities held a glamorous promotional evening last night, with some of the best chefs in the country promising to lay on one of the finest feasts the City has ever seen. The evening, dubbed Square Mile Salute, will be held at the legendary [...]
Boparan races to prepare an offer for Northern before its takeover deadline January 17, 2011 CONVENIENCE foods tycoon Ranjit Boparan is gearing up to make an offer for Northern Foods ahead of his Takeover Panel deadline of Friday, a person familiar with the matter said yesterday. Boparan asked bankers at Rothschild to examine Northern’s books last month, and is racing to complete due diligence and make an announcement this week [...]
Intelligent luxury under a hot blue sky January 16, 2011 ABU Dhabi sounds like a heady jumble of car, construction and human. In the daytime, the air is thick with noise as it is thick with the pervading haze of dust blown in from the sandlands to the south and thrown up by the never-ending construction. It softens the otherwise relentless sunshine, rendering everything (including [...]
Christmas Star still burning bright! January 13, 2011 CHRISTMAS was lovely, but there was something missing – and I’m not talking about sprouts or brandy butter. Well, that something was Kempton’s King George which was claimed on Boxing Day by the frost and will finally be run tomorrow. Regular readers of this column were advised before Christmas to take the even money available [...]
Restaurant Group lifts profit target as it targets new openings to fuel growth January 12, 2011 RESTAURANT Group has forecast full-year profit just ahead of market estimates as better-than-expected trading at its new sites offset the impact of heavy snowfall in the UK. The company, which owns the Garfunkel’s and Frankie & Benny’s chains, said revenue for the 53 weeks to 2 January was seven per cent ahead of 2009, while [...]
British Land bags West End development January 11, 2011 BRITISH Land plans to build an 80,000 square foot mixed use building in Marylebone, the firm said yesterday, after buying two properties from the Portman Estate for £18m. The developer will start to demolish the buildings on the corner of Edgware Road and Seymour Street in mid-2011. Last week Westminster Council gave architect Bennetts Associates [...]
Not so smooth: Clegg falls to pieces in bank bonus chit-chat January 10, 2011 LIBERAL Democrat leader Nick Clegg clearly didn’t eat his Weetabix yesterday morning. Normally a consummate media performer, as evidenced by his strong showing in the leaders’ debates, the “trust me, I’m a Lib Dem” act didn’t do the trick on Radio 4’s Today programme. Verbose Scot Jim Naughtie was asking the questions, and he caught [...]
A taste of the north in Clerkenwell January 5, 2011 North Road 69-73 St John St, EC1M 4AN Tel: 020 3217 0033, www.northroadrestaurant.co.uk FOOD 4/5 SERVICE 4/5 ATMOSPHERE 4/5 Cost per person without wine: £30 IF I tell you that the nibbles supplied at the start of this meal consisted of “skin” – of chicken, fish and pig – and then tell you the meal [...]