Stagecoach profits rise despite UK rail franchise loss June 26, 2019 Stagecoach has ruled out future bids for UK rail franchises today once its current operations finish in November. The transport giant also revealed higher profits for the year to the end of April despite its train business facing an uncertain future. The figures Stagecoach’s profit before tax rose 23 per cent year on year to [...]
Kalifornia Kitchen review: Vegan health food in the heart of London June 25, 2019 Walking into Kalifornia Kitchen is like slipping through a Goodnight Sweetheart portal, except rather than arriving in World War Two you’ve been teleported across the Atlantic to Venice Beach, as seen through an Instagram filter. It’s as though this healthy-eating vegan diner has been surreptitiously airlifted from the West Coast to Tottenham Court Road in [...]
The ‘Brics’ concept is a lazy and misguided tool for assessing emerging markets June 24, 2019 Seen in hindsight, the “Brics” concept was the perfect analytical tool for our lazy age, making one big point that required little thought while ignoring the nuance that is the basis of all good political risk analysis. Coined in 2001 by then Goldman Sachs chief economist Jim O’Neill, the idea that the rising developing countries [...]
Activist investor Coast Capital rails against First franchise bid June 23, 2019 An activist investor vying to shake up First Group has warned that it will pull out of a contract to run one of the UK’s leading rail franchises if it succeeds in toppling the firm’s management at a showdown on Tuesday. Coast Capital, which owns a near 10 per cent stake in transport giant First, [...]
If you’re panicking about a spike in oil prices, look to history for a silver lining June 19, 2019 The tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman have raised fears of a sharp increase in the price of oil. These are currently being offset by worries about a slowdown in the world economy and a drop in the demand for oil. But what if the conflict escalated and oil prices really did go through [...]
Sport debate: Is Frank Lampard the right man to replace Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea? June 17, 2019 Chelsea are expected to choose Frank Lampard as their next manager following the departure of Maurizio Sarri. But is the club’s all-time record goalscorer the right man to replace the Italian? Two of our writers wade into the debate. YES: Frank Dalleres Talk of Chelsea calling on Frank Lampard to return as manager just one [...]
Chris Tremlett: England should combat the dangerous Chris Gayle with all-out pace at the Rose Bowl June 12, 2019 England play West Indies at the Rose Bowl on Friday and I’m sure they won’t be complacent about what Jason Holder’s side can do. West Indies’ fast bowling attack have shown how good they can be, demolishing Pakistan for just 105 in their opening game and reducing Australia to 79-5 in their second with aggressive [...]
Lidl unveils £500m London expansion plan for 40 new stores June 12, 2019 Lidl has unveiled a £500m expansion plan to create 40 new stores in the capital, including its first central London store. The German discount supermarket said the openings would create 1,500 new jobs over the next five years. Read more: Big Four supermarkets stall amid fast rise of Lidl and Aldi A proposed Tottenham Court [...]
West End landlord Shaftesbury sued by tycoon shareholder Samuel Tak Lee June 11, 2019 Hong Kong billionaire Samuel Tak Lee has launched legal proceedings against one of London’s largest landlords over a capital raise. West End property group Shaftesbury announced that Lee, its largest shareholder, was suing the company over a share placing in December 2017 and was seeking £10.4m in damages. Read more: West End landlord Shaftesbury braced [...]
Focus On Bermondsey: The London borough with the Shard in its back yard June 7, 2019 Seventy two households, all belonging to the Count Robert of Mortain, and collectively worth a grand total of 40 pence; this was the value of Bermondsey as recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086. Things have changed somewhat since then (Bermondsey wasn’t even an official part of London at the time), but few areas have [...]