Labour’s business backers – where are they now? December 10, 2024 Labour won the public backing of over 120 business chiefs in a letter before the election – but the enthusiasm of those executives appears to have dimmed since then. City AM tried to track them down. It was a letter that seemed to signal a tectonic shift in British politics when it landed in newspapers [...]
My favourite watch: Tom Sellers, Seinfeld and Carl Cox December 9, 2024 What do Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers, top DJ Carl Cox, comedian Jerry Seinfeld and astronaut Don Pettit all have in common? They all need a good watch to do their extremely specific work. Alex Doak takes a look at the most talented people with quality on their wrists ••• The corner of Berkeley Street and [...]
A new Era for London transport? December 7, 2024 Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was emblematic of the rise of ‘mega-events’ in the capital that are acting as a catalyst for London’s transport infrastructure to upgrade how it manages surges of visitors and passengers on its network, says Jim Webber When Taylor Swift played her record-breaking run of shows in the UK earlier this year, [...]
Oxford Street M&S: Angela Rayner gives all-clear for demolition December 5, 2024 Angela Rayner has given the all-clear for the demolition of the flagship Oxford Street Marks & Spencer store. The deputy prime minister has granted permission for M&S to demolish the 94-year-old shop at Marble Arch in a decision published today. Plans to knock down Orchard House, which dates to the 1930s, and two other buildings, [...]
Gail’s Bakery to open 35 new locations amid £500m sale talks December 3, 2024 Gail’s Bakery is planning to open 35 new locations across England during its current financial year as it considers a £500m sale. The London-headquartered business opened 21 in its latest 12 months – a period which also saw its revenue surge from £181.7m to £231.7m. Newly-filed accounts with Companies House for the year to 29 [...]
Last Orders: An appreciation of the takeaway menu, a dying cultural artefact December 3, 2024 When I walked through my front door in Gateshead as a teenager, the doormat would be covered in a carpet of brightly coloured paper. A cherry-blossom pink menu from the local Chinese takeaway, the red and gold of an Indian place, and pictures of row upon row of bargain buckets from the local chicken shop. [...]
Profit jumps at Upper Crust owner SSP despite sluggish European performance December 3, 2024 In the 2024 financial year, the firm's operating profit jumped by 23 per cent to £206m, up from £167m last year. Pretax profit rose by 35 per cent.
Pearl Mackie: The Doctor Who star on her dream last supper December 3, 2024 Pearl Mackie, star of Netflix thriller The Diplomat and the upcoming production of Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre, tells us what she would eat for her last meal on earth My mum was vegetarian so I was veggie when I was growing up, until I was about 12. Back then it wasn’t great [...]
The weird and wonderful world of Japanese model food December 2, 2024 Japan is famous for the way its cultural artefacts seem to evolve separately from the rest of the world. Travel to Tokyo and you can find fax machines that have continued to develop new bells and whistles long after their use in the west began its terminal decline in the 1990s. Shokuhin sanpuru (literally: food [...]
Nando’s to open new UK restaurants as peri-peri chicken chain cuts loss November 29, 2024 Nando’s has revealed plans to open new restaurants across the UK after it cut its pre-tax loss during its latest financial year. The chain, famed for its peri-peri chicken, is to open 14 sites during its current financial year. It has already launched new restaurants in Edinburgh, Newcastle, Doncaster, Taplow, Bognor, Watford, Northampton and Belfast. In [...]