The breakfast club August 5, 2009 BREAKFAST has been creeping in to business culture for years. But let’s be honest – a couple years ago the preferred way of discussing important work matters was over beef bourguignon, a cheese plate and a couple of bottles of Burgundy. Those who opted instead for morning meetings were known as “power breakfasters”. Now, thanks [...]
Fowle secures the top post at M&B pubs August 3, 2009 PUBS group Mitchells & Butlers yesterday announced it has appointed Adam Fowle as chief executive, who has been acting in the role since 21 May. Fowle was parachuted in as acting chief executive after an ill-fated 2007 joint venture with property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz forced the resignation of then executive Tim Clarke. Under Clarke pre-tax [...]
SANTANDER CHIEF BREAKING CITY HEARTS WITH HIS EXOTIC CHARM August 3, 2009 WHILE all the big British bank bosses are pitted against each other this week in terms of first-half profits, Spanish bank Santander’s UK boss António Horta-Osório has been enjoying the glory of a rather more frivolous accolade. Horta-Osório became chief executive of Abbey in August 2006, after long stints at the helm of the bank’s [...]
St Lucia’s most spectacular retreat is taking luxury to new levels August 2, 2009 ONE OF THE remaining signs of St Lucia’s colonial past (and Commonwealth present) is the fact that, by law, the first 40 feet inland of every stretch of coastline belongs to the Queen. That doesn’t mean sunbathing is restricted to Her Maj and Philip, should they deign to drop anchor in these parts, but it [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 27, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES COMPLEXITY IS KEY TO OVERCOMING RECESSIONLord Mandelson, the business secretary, will today announce the allocation of £150bn to fund companies’ advance manufacturing development projects in areas such as aerospace, nuclear engineering components, electronics and microchip designs. Most of it will come from the £750m cash pot set aside by ministers this year to [...]
Panamania SETS IN July 26, 2009 THINK of the Republic of Panama and the two words most likely to follow are “hats” and “canal”. The last thing you’d associate with this odd-shaped country at the very bottom of Central America is a Manhatten-esque skyline, sophisticated nightlife and luxury hotels and spas. But make the 14-hour journey to this isthmus and these [...]
WHERE TO DRINK CHAMPAGNE IN THE CITY July 22, 2009 VERTIGOTower 42, EC2NShowy and high glam, this is a devoted champagne bar with the best views in town – perched right at the top of Tower 42 (pictured right). There is a fantastic choice of bubbly, including Veuve Delaroy Brut (£46), Georges Vesselle Bouzy Grand Cru (£66), two Bollies, a Krug (£385) and several Laurent [...]
LENDERS WIN CONTROL OF CHEZ GERARD July 20, 2009 THE CHEZ Gerard and Bertorelli restaurant chains fell under the control of bankers yesterday. Silverfleet Capital, the private equity company, sold the chains’ owner Paramount Restaurants to its bankers, RBS, HSBC, Barclays and Sankaty for an undisclosed sum. The deal is expected to cut Paramount’s debts by around half to £65m.
Oh I do like to be beside the seaside (with billionaires) July 19, 2009 IT’S mid-morning, and having got a crack-of-dawn BA flight from London City Airport, I am now in a helicopter flying from Nice to Monte Carlo. Out of the window, the warm sunshine and blue sea provide a stunning backdrop to the hotels and villas carved out of the white rocks. As a helicopter virgin I [...]
McDonald’s to swap London for Geneva July 12, 2009 FAST food giant McDonald’s yesterday confirmed it was joining the growing list of multinational companies to have quit the UK and relocate their European headquarters. The US chain, which runs 1,200 restaurants in Britain, plans to move from its current headquarters in East Finchley, north London, to Geneva by the end of the year. McDonald’s [...]