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 [...]
Square Mile and Me: Natasha Guerra on setting up Runway East November 28, 2024 Runway East CEO Natasha Guerra tells us about her career, her favourite cocktail spot, and why she'd like to see fewer blue shirts in the City.
Exclusive: Cobra Beer founder Karan Bilimoria steps down as chairman November 27, 2024 Lord Bilimoria isn’t shy about discussing his proudest achievements – especially when it comes to the premium lager brand, Cobra Beer. Today, however, the 63-year-old entrepreneur is recalling those moments with a touch more nostalgia, as he reveals exclusively to City AM he’s officially stepped down from his role as the company’s chairman. He says [...]
Mitchells & Butlers: All Bar One operator set for £100m Budget tax hit November 27, 2024 All Bar One owner Mitchells & Butlers has become the latest hospitality business to warn of higher costs due to the tax changes outlined in Labour’s inaugural Budget at the end of October. The group made the comments within its full year results release for the year to 28 September 2024, which was published this [...]