London apartments with classic stylings December 2, 2010 ANYBODY who wanders through the West End for any amount of time is taken with the stunning architecture, but many don’t get the opportunity to stay in these wonderful buildings. The new generation of serviced apartments, however, offers you the chance. These are proving increasingly popular for those who regularly spend time in London for [...]
European classics still all the rage if you want a place in the sunshine December 2, 2010 IF you fancy picking up a nice cottage in the Irish countryside, or a villa in Portugal or Greece, then now might be the time to start looking. In the wake of the financial crisis most potential buyers were put off by uncertainty, but now the eurozone is in crisis and the pound is relatively [...]
2010’s Christmas book round-up December 1, 2010 BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS CRISIS ECONOMICS BY NOURIEL ROUBINI WITH STEPEHN MIHM Pengiuin, £25 More than just another me-too account of the crisis, Nouriel Roubini – often called Dr Doom for his Cassandra-like prophecies – gives a compelling account of the 2008 meltdown. He provides the lay reader with succinct and clearly written explanations of the [...]
Shaftesbury shops provide profit jump November 30, 2010 WEST END property company Shaftesbury posted double-digit growth in its asset value for the full-year yesterday, and said it expected strong demand for its shops, pubs and restaurants to continue. Shaftesbury also said it was hunting for a new chief executive, after current boss Jonathan Lane announced his intention to retire in 2011 after 24 [...]
Crisis limits Eastern European FX’s upside November 30, 2010 FOR more than a decade, eastern European countries enviously looked west, chasing the desirable single currency membership that would signal that they had shaken off their Soviet-era shackles and were at a critical stage in their economic and political development. After more than 10 years of trying to achieve acceptance to the exclusive club that [...]
Traffic free day earns London shops £250m November 28, 2010 OVER £250m was spent in West End shops this weekend, as consumers took advantage of the sixth annual traffic-free “VIP Day” in Oxford Street and Regent Street. And retailers are delighted with a reported boom in sales of “big ticket” items, after recent data pointed to a slump in people’s willingness to splash out on [...]
Time for festive frocks November 28, 2010 CHRISTMAS party season attracts its share of Grinch-like moaners. But let’s face it: a chance to roll out one fun frock after the next is good fun. Regarding the phrase “fun frock” – feel free to substitute “fun” with “glamorous” or “hot” or “lovely”. Anyway, the point is that you have to have a party [...]
London’s railway is finally joined up November 25, 2010 IN the mid-nineteenth century the railway was banned from building lines and stations into the City and the West End by a Royal Commission. The effect of that decision is still felt today and – with the exception of the very busy original Thameslink route – we currently have no real cross London rail links [...]
West End shops go traffic-free this weekend November 23, 2010 REGENT Street and Oxford Street will be vehicle-free between 10am and 6pm this Saturday, allowing millions of Londoners to indulge in Christmas shopping on foot. Stores are offering up to 50 per cent off and opening as early as 8am, as they compete for the attention of an anticipated two million shoppers. By VIP Day [...]
Gifts with a sense of history November 22, 2010 IT’S no coincidence that the recession has overlapped with a surge in the popularity of all things old fashioned. If our confidence in a bold, sparkling future has faltered, our interest in the aesthetics of the past – and the values of quality, provenance and craftsmanship that go with it – has rocketed upwards. 1940s-themed [...]