The good times are rolling again February 17, 2010 IT’S been a rough couple of years for restaurants, many of whom – beginning life bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – were stopped in their tracks by the credit crunch. High-gloss French restaurant Ambassade de L’ile and swanky Japanese restaurant Aaya were two casualties, along with Nobu’s sister restaurant Ubon in Canary Wharf. But it’s a far cheerier [...]
Westfield sales up February 17, 2010 SALES at Westfield shopping centre were up 11 per cent last month lifting some of the gloom from the retail market. The mall in West London’s Shepherds Bush also saw spending in the run-up to Christmas soaring by 18 per cent compared with the same period in 2008 when the UK was in the grip of [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING February 16, 2010 FINANCIAL TIMES YOUNG GENERATIONS FACE WEALTH DEFECIT Baby boomers hold so much of Britain’s wealth that a prosperity gap is opening between the generations, with people born after 1970 unlikely to acquire the wealth their parents enjoy, a Conservative shadow cabinet member has warned. David Willetts said in a speech to the London School of [...]
Hodgson’s harbouring a cup dream February 14, 2010 FULHAM boss Roy Hodgson is daring to dream of leading Fulham to a first-ever FA Cup success after a comfortable victory over League Two Notts County took them to within two matches of a Wembley final. Goals from Simon Davies, Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff and new signing Stefano Okako signalled the end of brave County’s [...]
West End booming for landlord Shaftesbury February 12, 2010 WEST End landlord Shaftesbury has seen buoyant trading over Christmas and New year, with lettings exceeding predicted prices. The company, which owns large areas of theatreland, said the West End had enjoyed a booming Christmas period. Around 70 per cent of the company’s portfolio comprises shops, restaurants and leisure and property for leisure uses but [...]
Get into the foreign property game at a fraction of the cost February 11, 2010 FOR many people, owning a foreign property would be the ultimate luxury. However, dealing with local authorities, maintaining the place, or renting it out can turn a luxury into a time-consuming, costly hassle. And that assumes you can really afford the place of your dreams, rather than a flat in a high-rise overlooking a crowded [...]
Greening strikes as Roy cheers the joy of six February 3, 2010 JONATHAN GREENING fired his first goal for Fulham to end their five-match losing streak and heap more misery on cash-strapped Portsmouth. The former West Brom midfielder lashed home the winner from Damien Duff’s 74th minute cross after new signing Stefano Okaka had missed a first-half sitter. The result was a little harsh on Avram Grant’s [...]
City rents jump on supply crunch February 2, 2010 RENTS in the Square Mile will rocket by 19 per cent this year as a slowdown in the rate of new developments creates a supply crisis, property consultant Knight Frank warned yesterday. Rates are predicted to jump to £52.5 per square foot as international companies expand their City headquarters and the availability of space falls. [...]
A IS FOR… A TOUCH OF ACRIMONY AT ALCHEMY February 2, 2010 PROOF, if it were needed, that the old adage about time being the best healer does not always ring true. Private equity veteran Jon Moulton is in the preliminary throes of building his new business, Better Capital, after quitting his former firm Alchemy Partners last September amid a boardroom bust-up over strategy. (His resignation letter [...]
Upbeat Imps Tobacco beats the recession February 2, 2010 Imperial Tobacco, the world’s fourth-biggest cigarette maker, said yesterday it had made a good start to its new financial year with trading in line with its forecasts despite weak economies. Imperial, with cigarette brands including Lambert & Butler, West and Gauloises, was reporting on its first-quarter trading from October to December 2009 within its current [...]